PRRD will bare state of health if it’s serious: Palace

FILE: Presidential Spokesperson and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Secretary Salvador Panelo holds a press briefing for the Malacañang Press Corps (MPC) on Monday, November 26, 2018, at the New Executive Building (NEB) in Malacañang. (Photo: Office of the Presidential Spokesperson/Facebook)

MANILA — President Rodrigo R. Duterte will reveal the state of his health if it is a serious cause for public concern, Malacañang reassured on Monday amid rumors that the Chief Executive suffered cardiac arrest over the weekend.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo allayed fears that Duterte was rushed to a private hospital on Sunday, saying the President was only out of the public eye for a week to finish signing papers.

“Let me assure the nation that if there is anything wrong with the President’s health, serious enough to be of our concern, he will tell us and he said so himself many times over,” Panelo said in a Palace briefing.

He said Duterte spent his weekend at the Bahay Pagbabago, formerly called Bahay Pangarap, the President’s residence in Malacañan Palace.

“Nandun lang siya sa (He was just in the) Bahay Pagbabago signing papers. I talked to him yesterday (Sunday). His voice was very strong. Wala, natawa lang (he laughed off the rumors),” Panelo said.

He noted that whenever the President does not have public engagements, he is most likely working and would rather not get disturbed.

“Ayaw ng naiistorbo yun kasi pag nasa labas siya, ang daming gustong makausap sa kanya (He would not want to be disturbed because when he’s outside, too many people want to speak to him),” Panelo said.

“Eh napakabait niyang tao, di naman tumatanggi so ang focus sa kaniyang signing papers, reading documents, memo di niya magawa, kaya siguro he decides to stay put (And he’s such a good person, he doesn’t decline. So he can’t focus on signing papers, reading documents, memos, that’s why he decided to stay put),” he added.

Panelo, however, said Duterte neither confirmed nor denied having visited a private hospital for a routine checkup or any other purpose and asked media to draw their own conclusions.

He said for the President, rumors about suffering cardiac arrest was not a “serious matter.”

“Kasi kung serious yun (Because if it’s serious) he would always tell the public about it. It started as a chismis, e di pinabayaan na lang (a rumor so he let it be),” Panelo said.

The Presidential spokesperson, meanwhile, thanked the public for being concerned about the President’s health.

“Thank you for the concern, I’m sure many people were concerned kahit chismis lang (even if it is just a rumor),” Panelo said.

On Sunday, former Special Assistant to the President and among the leading senatorial bets, Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go shared a photo of himself sharing a meal with the Duterte to quash speculations the Chief Executive was rushed to the hospital.

Panelo said Duterte has been in Manila since Friday spending private family time with his partner Honeylet Avanceña and daughter Kitty.