Duterte was ‘upbeat’ over the weekend, says spokesperson

PRESIDENT RODRIGO R. Duterte was “upbeat” during the weekend based on the “sound of his voice,” his spokesperson said on Monday amid speculations over his health condition. In a press briefing at the Palace on Monday, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo said Mr. Duterte did not take the rumors that he was hospitalized over the weekend as a “serious matter.” When asked about the condition of the President, who has not appeared in public since the May 13 elections, he said, “Ang Presidente ‘pag ‘di n’yo nakikita, nagtratrabaho ‘yun (When you don’t see the President, he’s working). Ang ‘di n’ya paglabas sa publiko, ay ‘di connected sa (His non-appearance in public is not connected with his) health.” Whether Mr. Duterte was indeed hospitalized, he reiterated that the President “neither denied nor confirmed it.” “You can draw your own conclusions,” he added. — Arjay L. Balinbin