Philippine President has health problems

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has appeared in public and received questions about his health after reports said he had to go to the hospital for tests.

News of Duterte's health came a day after he missed a cabinet meeting and another event. Last year, Duterte was absent for a week, sparking speculation that the Philippine leader was in ill health. The Philippine government at the time said the reports were baseless.

However, Mr. Duterte himself has spoken out for the first time to confirm that he may be having health problems.

“I don’t know what my health is like right now, I’m still waiting for the test results. I’ll let you know if it’s cancer. If it’s stage 3 cancer, there’s no need for treatment,” President Duterte said frankly during a dinner with Philippine military and police officers, broadcast on national television.

Presidential Secretary Salvador Medialdea also confirmed that President Duterte had a colonoscopy at the hospital on October 3. Duterte had a similar test three weeks ago, but the doctor ordered another test.

After Mr Duterte visited Israel and Jordan last month, the public noticed his “pale” face. However, the Philippine President explained that he was sunburned by the desert sun.

According to sources, after his speech before Congress in late July, Mr. Duterte went to the hospital for a health check, but presidential aides quickly confirmed that he did not have any health problems.

The news about Mr. Duterte’s health situation emerged in the context of his first admission that he authorized the killing without trial of drug criminals in the war on drugs that he launched in the Philippines. President Duterte directly rebutted those who criticized his way of running the country./.

Hoang Le