Despite the firm denials of his aides, President Rodrigo Duterte has admitted that he really went to the hospital this week.
During a speech yesterday before members of the Philippine Military Academy Alumni Association, the 73-year-old Duterte admitted that he went to the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan on Wednesday for a series of tests.
He told his audience in a mix of English and Filipino: “Three weeks ago I had my endoscopy and colonoscopy. I was about to have a Cabinet meeting yesterday. But the reading was, somebody, advised my doctor to just repeat and get some samples there.”
He points from his throat down to his chest. “Both here again. I sat there for one hour at Cardinal Santos. I can’t say if there’s something wrong with me or not. But I have this Barrett and it has been bothering me since — ever since — because of my drinking.”
The president is implying that the tests were taken on relation to his Barrett’s esophagus, which is characterized by an abnormal change in the tissue of the esophagus. Those who have the disease face a higher risk of developing esophageal cancer.
In September, he said that he was told by his doctor that he will live if he stops drinking.
He added: “I would tell you that if it’s cancer, it’s cancer. If it’s third stage, no more treatment. I will not prolong my agony in this office.”
The president’s pronouncement runs counter to the statement of presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, who said that the president just had a day off when he didn’t show up for an event with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.
Roque said: “The President just took a day off. I don’t think he was fatigued. He just realized he has not had a day-off.”
He told the media that if the Duterte, the country’s oldest president in history, had any health issues, the government would tell the public about it.
Sounding miffed, Roque said: “Please trust that if he has a serious ailment the people will know. Of course, I keep repeating this, he’s a lawyer, he knows his constitutional obligation. If there is a ground to release it he will, but for the time being, let us continue to treat medical records as being confidential.”
Before his confession, Duterte’s Special Assistant Christopher “Bong” Go also denied that his boss went to the hospital.
In a statement, Go said in Filipino and English: “There’s no truth that PRRD (Duterte) was admitted to the hospital. That’s not true 100%. I will bet my life on that. That’s not true.”
Duterte’s health has been the subject of much speculation since he appeared in public looking darker than he used to be, which he said was the result of sunburn. Adding fuel to the fire was Communist Party of the Philippines’s founder Jose Maria Sison’s statement that the president lapsed into a coma in August, which the government said was “absolutely false.”
Shortly after, Duterte said that he was “in perpetual pain” due to a spinal injury from a motorbike accident. He said his doctor told him he couldn’t take too many painkillers and had to “come to terms” with the condition of his body.
In 2017, Duterte admitted that he took the controversial painkiller fentanyl to deal with his injury. He said he took more than the prescribed dosage and ended up feeling like he was “on cloud nine.” He said his doctor got mad at him and stopped prescribing him the drug.
Fentanyl is an opioid that can cause an overdose. It’s reportedly 80 – 100 times stronger than morphine.
Reader Interactions