Coughing President worries Lucena City audience

President Aquino: ‘Feeling the rigors of election campaigns’. AP

LUCENA CITY, Philippines—Troubled by a severe coughing fit as he delivered a campaign speech here, members of the audience appealed to President Aquino to stop smoking.

“His coughing was bad. He is frail apparently because of the pressures of being president and the rigors of the campaign,” Concha Rivera told the Inquirer after the rally.

Rivera offered this piece of advice: “Mr. President, stop smoking. Cigarettes will slowly kill you.”

Severe coughing spells interrupted the President’s speech six times.

A cameraman of a television crew said the President earlier in Lucban suffered coughing spells there thrice.

After one fit, the President told the crowd Health Secretary Enrique Ona had been advising him to take it easy and get some rest.

A college student in the audience said he felt for the President every time he coughed.