To people speculating about his whereabouts in the past two weeks, President Duterte has not left Manila all along.
Emerging from a two-week absence in the middle of a raging pandemic, the President explained that he has been staying in Malacañang all this time and sleeping alone.
Duterte, in a televised address Monday, April 12, admitted that he intentionally stayed away from the public eye after resenting his critics for speculating about his alleged poor health.
"Sabihin mo na itong isa, 'Nasaan ang Presidente? You know baka patay na.' Eh sabihin ko sana na, 'Eh nandito lang ako sa Malacañan natutulog ako mag-isa. Ikaw sino ang kasama mo sa kama? Ikaw ba ang may-ari niyan?' (One asked, 'Where is the President? He might be dead.' I was about to say 'I am just here in Malacañang sleeping alone. Who are you sleeping with? Do you own the place?'" the President.
"You know it takes two to tango. ‘Pag binabastos ninyo ako, eh ‘di babastusin ko rin kayo (If you are rude to me, I'll be rude to you too)," said Duterte in his latest tv appearance since last "Talk to the People" on March 29.
The President also rejected speculations about his supposed ailment, insisting he was healthy enough to perform his duties as the country's leader.
He also argued there was nothing wrong with him enjoying hobbies like riding a motorbike and playing golf in the wee hours since he was "not taking people's time."
Duterte's health was put in spotlight anew after he canceled his televised address last week. The hashtag #NasaanAngPangulo became one of the trending topics on Twitter last week after some netizens questioned the President’s absence. It turned out that Duterte was briefly being kept in isolation to ensure his health after several Presidential Security Group (PSG) members became infected with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
When rumors about Duterte's alleged poor health surfaced, his former assistant and now Senator Christopher Go released on social media several photos and videos of the President jogging, riding a motorbike, and swinging a golf club at night.
The President, however, hit back at critics speculating about his alleged poor health during his speech aired on state television. He said those wishing him dead should "pray harder."
He also commented on social media posts made by veteran journalist Ramon Tulfo and Senator Leila de Lima criticizing his absence.
"Pero kung sabihin mo may sakit ako ngayon that would prevent me from exercising the powers of the presidency, wala ho. Kaya ako nagmo --- kaya ako nakaka-swing ng golf, tapos nagmomotor eh kasi kaya ko pa (If you say I am sick now that would prevent me from exercising the powers of the president, I am not. That's why I can swing a golf club and ride a motorbike because I can still do it)," he said.