Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. AP Photo
President Duterte is likely just being “melodramatic” in saying he may not be able to finish his term, an opposition lawmaker said on Thursday.
Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat, a leader of the “Magnificent 7” independent minority bloc of the House of Representatives, said the President’s health should always be considered a public concern, but he added he was not convinced Mr. Duterte was being serious when he talked about the possibility of dying before the end of his presidency in 2022.
“I think it’s part of his being melodramatic. He always wants to show he is an underdog and that everybody is against him,” the lawmaker told reporters.
Baguilat said it could just be Mr. Duterte’s schtick to appeal to public sympathy “like we’re supposed to go ‘how pitiful.’”
Speaking to the Filipino community in Phnom Penh, the 71-year-old Mr. Duterte said: “This is my last hurrah. After this, 77. I am not sure if I will still be around by the end of my term.”
He is the oldest person to be elected president of the Philippines.