Aquino, ill with flu, takes half-day rest

MANILA, Philippines—After grueling sessions in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Cambodia, President Aquino took a half-day rest on Wednesday.

The President, who flew in late Tuesday night from the three-day summit, was scheduled to interview Marvic Leonen on his nomination to the Supreme Court at around 10 a.m. Wednesday, but reset this to 1 p.m. so he could rest, Malacañang officials said.

“He took a rest. They arrived a little late last night. The President was exhausted for days because of the many meetings at the summit. He survived the summit—even managing to state our position on the West Philippine Sea, and this morning he had a chance to rest,” Secretary Edwin Lacierda, presidential spokesman, said in a briefing.

Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras, who was part of the presidential delegation to Cambodia, said the President had been advised by doctors to take a two-day rest, but doubted if this was possible before the weekend.

“The recommendation was for the President to rest for two whole days. And I was recommending to him that he take that rest today and tomorrow, but it looks like it’s not going to happen. So hopefully, over the weekend, he gets a chance to rest,” he said in the same briefing.

Suffering from sniffles, Mr. Aquino left a gala dinner for Asean and other world leaders Monday night, saying he needed to rest. He told reporters his troubles began when he was exposed to pollen during his state visits to New Zealand and Australia.

When he departed Saturday night for Phnom Penh, he was nursing a flu and allergic rhinitis, an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the nose.

According to the US National Library of Medicine, allergic rhinitis is a group of symptoms affecting the nose. The symptoms occur when a person breathes in something he’s allergic to such as dust, dander, insect venom or pollen.

Almendras tried to downplay the President’s ailment as flu, and said he appeared animated Wednesday.

“I’m not a doctor, but I was around when the President was talking to the doctor on Saturday. It’s flu, isn’t it?” he said when asked if the President’s illness was caused by smoking. “When you get the flu, it’s translated to allergic rhinitis, which happens to me. If I get flu, I get asthma too.’’

The President was suffering from a regular flu “with some allergies,” he said.

“You know, if you’re the President of a company, you normally get hyperacidity. You get afflicted with many ailments. Just imagine if you’re the President of the Philippines. There are many stressful things that can create many things from happening,” he continued.

Otherwise, the President was very animated, Almendras said.

“Was it last night? I think, Ambassador Perez Rubio went to me and said the trip must have really been good because ‘I’ve never seen the President so animated, so happy,’” he said. Rubio is Malacañang’s chief protocol officer.