President Duterte slammed those spreading rumors that he went to Singapore over the weekend, saying he has no obligation to keep his trips secret.
(ROBINSON NIÑAL JR./PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Duterte issued the statement after reports spread on social media that he went to Singapore over the weekend for medical treatment.
In his public address late Monday, President Duterte said he can go wherever he pleases without using government funds and without keeping it a secret.
“If I want to go to Singapore, I will go to Singapore. If it is a private undertaking, I will go there fly-in, fly-out,” he said.
“Stop this nonsense about me going to Singapore. Kung gusto ko, pupunta ako. Wala kayong pakialam kung gusto ko pumunta (If I want to go there, I will go there and there's nothing you can do about it),” he added.
The President said it was not in his character to keep his personal trips secret from the public since he will not be using taxpayers' money.
“Kung gusto ko umalis, kung aalis ako (If I want to leave, I will), I do not have to keep it secret because I will not be using government funds. Hindi ko ugali 'yan (I'm not like that),” he said.
According to Duterte, there has been no trip, so far, that he has taken outside the Philippines where he used government funds, except for official trips.
President Duterte said he can travel wherever he wants because the right to travel is guaranteed by the Constitution.
“I am a citizen of this country. The right to travel is guaranteed. Kung guaranteed sa inyo, ‘di guaranteed din sa akin (If it's guaranteed for you, then it is for me as well),” he said.
Duterte said he will never leave the country, especially now that the Philippines is still facing the threat of COVID-19.
“Ang isang (A) leader will always stay where the crisis is,” he said.
“Hindi ka dapat maglagalag kung may problema ang bayan. Napakababa naman ng tingin niyo sa akin kung ganun (You shouldn't be going around leisurely if the country has a problem. You don't think very highly of me, then),” he added.
To disprove the rumors, President Duterte's long-time aide Senator Bong Go uploaded a photo on Facebook showing Duterte having a meal with his family in their Davao City home.
The photo also shows Duterte’s partner Honeylet Avanceña showing a copy of Manila Bulletin's August 17, 2020 issue.