By Argyll Geducos
Malacañang defended President Duterte's absence in some of his public events, saying the Chief Executive is just like any other guy who gets tired and sick.
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo
(OPS / MANILA BULLETIN) Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo made the statement after Duterte skipped the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) change-of-command ceremony on Tuesday because of slight fever after he was seen singing in an event the previous night. In his statement Thursday in a press briefing, Panelo defended the President, saying a person can still sing even if he was sick. "Gusto mo sabihin kung meron kang sinat hindi ka na makakakanta? Eh, kung nangyari yung pagkanta bago sininat, ano ba naman'g problema doon (Do you mean to say, if a person is sick he cannot sing? What if it happened before he got sick? What's the problem with that)? he said. According to Panelo, the President is just like any other person who gets sick when he is tired. "The President is a normal person. Kagaya nating lahat. Merong mga oras na masama ang pakiramdam natin. Kung minsan masakit ang ulo natin. Kung minsan sinisinat tayo. Nangyayari sa lahat ng tao yun (He's just like the rest of us. There are times we do not feel good, we get migraines, we get sick. It happens to everybody)," he said. "You don't have to be President to be like that. Kung nagkataon lang, walang dapat na ikabahala ang taumbayan (If it just happened, then the public had nothing to worry about)," he added. Duterte's health was always the first to be raised whenever the President opted to skip events or stay away from the public's eye for a long period of time. Just last month, Panelo extinguished rumors that the President was sick because he was not seen in any public event for a week. The Palace official explained that the President was just busy with his work. "Si Presidente busy sa paper work, busy sa engagement – busy sa lahat si Presidente, hindi ba?, workaholic masyado itong mama (The President is buried in paperwork, and other engagements. This man is such a workaholic)," he had said.
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo(OPS / MANILA BULLETIN) Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo made the statement after Duterte skipped the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) change-of-command ceremony on Tuesday because of slight fever after he was seen singing in an event the previous night. In his statement Thursday in a press briefing, Panelo defended the President, saying a person can still sing even if he was sick. "Gusto mo sabihin kung meron kang sinat hindi ka na makakakanta? Eh, kung nangyari yung pagkanta bago sininat, ano ba naman'g problema doon (Do you mean to say, if a person is sick he cannot sing? What if it happened before he got sick? What's the problem with that)? he said. According to Panelo, the President is just like any other person who gets sick when he is tired. "The President is a normal person. Kagaya nating lahat. Merong mga oras na masama ang pakiramdam natin. Kung minsan masakit ang ulo natin. Kung minsan sinisinat tayo. Nangyayari sa lahat ng tao yun (He's just like the rest of us. There are times we do not feel good, we get migraines, we get sick. It happens to everybody)," he said. "You don't have to be President to be like that. Kung nagkataon lang, walang dapat na ikabahala ang taumbayan (If it just happened, then the public had nothing to worry about)," he added. Duterte's health was always the first to be raised whenever the President opted to skip events or stay away from the public's eye for a long period of time. Just last month, Panelo extinguished rumors that the President was sick because he was not seen in any public event for a week. The Palace official explained that the President was just busy with his work. "Si Presidente busy sa paper work, busy sa engagement – busy sa lahat si Presidente, hindi ba?, workaholic masyado itong mama (The President is buried in paperwork, and other engagements. This man is such a workaholic)," he had said.