MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte flew to Davao City not just to visit his family but also to assess the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation in Mindanao, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said on Sunday.
“President Rodrigo Roa Duterte is now in Davao City to visit his family whom he has not seen in months and to assess the coronavirus disease 2019 situation in Mindanao,” Roque said in a statement.
“COVID-19 has affected not just one part of the country but the entire Philippines. As a father of the nation, President Duterte—considering his age and comorbidities—is a hands-on working Chief Executive who spent his weekend to check how this global health scare impacted the lives of people on the ground, especially those living outside Metro Manila and Luzon,” added Roque.
Duterte flew to his home city early Saturday, or the first day of the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) in Metro Manila, even as the government strongly urged people to remain at home to stop the further spread of the viral illness.
Despite the travel, Roque assured the President will be back in Malacañang in time for the next briefing of the Inter-agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).