Duterte claims he has rare disorder causing his eyelids to droop and muscle to weaken
MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte revealed in his speech during his meeting with the Filipino community in Russia that he was suffering from myasthenia gravis, a disease that he said runs in his family.
"It's a nerve malfunction, [and] I got it [exactly] from my grandfather," he explained. “So I believe, really, in genetics," he said Saturday.
Myasthenia gravis is a rare chronic, neuromuscular and autoimmune affliction that results in skeletal muscle weakness, particularly around muscles involved in eye control and facial movement.
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, around a fifth of myasthena gravis patients "experience at least one myasthenic crisis," a medical emergency caused by the weakening of muscles that facilitate respiration. At this point, patients will require the assistance of a ventilator to breathe.
"'Yung isang mata ko, umiikot kung saan-saan pumupunta (One of my eyes is smaller. It roams on its own)," the president said of the symptoms he was experiencing.
The president's health has long been a pressing worry in the public eye, as his continued public hinting of it and occasional absences have only served to exacerbate concerns. At the age of 74, Duterte is the oldest president in the country's history.
After a week-long absence in May, presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo tried to quell any speculations on the chief executive's health, telling reporters, "it’s not a serious matter, because if it was serious, he always tells the public about it.”
He most recently skipped the change-of-command ceremony for the new chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines on September 24. In a message to reporters, Panelo explained that this was because "the punishing schedule of official and social events of the previous days has slightly affected his body temperature."
Section 12 of Article 7 of the Constitution stipulates that:
"In case of serious illness of the President, the public shall be informed of the state of his health. The members of the Cabinet in charge of national security and foreign relations and the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, shall not be denied access to the President during such illness."
In October of last year, Duterte joked, "If it’s cancer, it’s cancer. If it’s third stage, no more treatment. I will no longer prolong my agony in the office."
The disclosure came just before Duterte warned the Filipino community in Russia about the consequences of going against his war on drugs.
"Basta 'yang droga 'yan, it begins and ends [at] madi-disgrasya kayo. Sabihin ninyo mga pinsan mo, kapatid, mga — do not do it, baka madating ang isang araw malasin ka talaga," he warned.
Duterte revealed in the same speech that his administration and Russia were inching closer towards a legal framework to address the plight of some 10,000 undocumented Filipino workers in the country.
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