Duterte busy with paperwork, aide says

MANILA, Philippines —President Rodrigo Duterte is working and attending to paperwork, his presidential aide said on Monday, the sixth day since the chief executive last appeared in public.

Duterte, 72, has not been seen since last Tuesday night, when he visited wounded troops in a hospital in Cagayan de Oro City. He also visited evacuees in Iligan City earlier that day.

Christopher “Bong” Go, special assistant to the president, said that the chief executive was working and attending to some paperwork.

“Working. Paperworks,” Go told Philstar.com when asked about any updates on Duterte who has been said to be resting for six days now.

Duterte’s absence from the public eye has helped fuel speculations that he may be seriously ill.

READ: Duterte's health a matter of 'national security,' says opposition

Government officials were quick to douse rumors about the president’s health, insisting that he was just resting following his grueling schedule during the past few weeks.

This is the second time this month that the president, known for giving fiery speeches that are aired live, has not been seen by the public for several days.

Duterte was absent from June 12 to 16, a disappearance that led to calls from opposition figures for the president to disclose the true state of his health.

READ:  Amid questions on Duterte's health, Bong Go releases photos of the president

During his visit to Iligan City, he met and apologized to Marawi residents who fled the violence in their hometown for his army rule declaration and the destruction of much of their city.

The chief executive told the displaced citizens that the Maute fighters had left him with no choice but to impose martial law on the entire Mindanao island and its island provinces.

“I hope, in the soonest time, you will find a new heart to forgive my soldiers, the government, even me for declaring martial law. I did not have any choice. They are destroying Marawi,” the president said.

In Cagayan de Oro City, he warned the public against retaliation from Islamist militants as he called on them to be vigilant.

“You have to keep watch and control the movements as yet. Just because the fighting has stopped in Marawi, it does not mean that we are already safe. One of these days, they will go into bombings,” he told reporters.