‘Kasi may nagtapak sa paa ko,’ Duterte says after losing balance during Sona

Screenshot from RTVM Facebook Live

MANILA, Philippines— President Rodrigo Duterte allayed concerns and assured he was “okay” after losing his balance when he entered the plenary hall at Batasang Pambansa to deliver his final State of the Nation Address (Sona), saying someone supposedly stepped on his foot.

“Kasi may nagtapak sa paa ko,” Duterte told dzBB in a video call, a copy of which was shared to reporters on Tuesday, when asked about his stumble on the way to the podium during his Sona.

(Someone stepped on my foot.)

“Pero okay ako, nakakalakad ako mabuti. Wala pa naman akong cane. Eh kung mag-walking stick na ako, kaya siguro, pero okay lang ako,” he added

(But I’m okay. I can walk well. I don’t use a cane yet. Maybe I can use a walking stick, but I’m okay.)

Malacañang also assured that there is no “extraordinary” problem about the President’s health and merely lost balance prior to delivering his final Sona.

Duterte also slipped from the podium when he attended the Independence Day rites in June, but presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said this was only a “misstep.”

JPV