Rumors about the president’s health

There’s no question about it – Filipinos love to gossip, relishing the latest bit of scandal or rumor especially about well-known celebrities and powerful personalities. In fact, there are even television shows and radio programs that almost exclusively cater to “chismis.” The latest chismis and all kinds of rumors that are circulating is that President Rodrigo Duterte is dying.”

The rumors about his health kicked into high gear when the President was conspicuously absent at the June 12 Luneta Independence Day celebration, followed by the sudden cancellation of the yearly vin d’honneur with the diplomatic corps in Malacañang. Shortly thereafter, the Palace appointments office cancelled all his activities for the week. The continued absence from public view triggered rumors in social media sites that the president had been rushed to a hospital in Manila and was in a coma, and that it was only a matter of time before the end.

Last Thursday, The STAR carried a photo of the president going over documents at Bahay Pagbabago (formerly known as Bahay Pangarap) in Malacañang – sent by Special Presidential Assistant Christopher “Bong” Go who is clearly the only one with access to take photos during the president’s “private time.”

Rumors and speculations about leaders and their state of health – physical and otherwise – are nothing new in the Philippines and in other countries as well. President Manuel Quezon reportedly contracted tuberculosis from his mother and was very sickly when he became president in 1935.

Talks about the degenerating health of Ferdinand Marcos also became stronger when he disappeared from public view for almost two weeks in November 1984. Since media was controlled then and Marcos was the head of an authoritarian government, rumors became especially rampant as his illness had the potential to place the country in disarray.

Today, speculations about President Duterte’s health are particularly interesting for both his supporters and critics. Duterte loyalists accuse “yellow group” members of salivating to take hold of power and are reportedly responsible for spreading the “deathly” rumors about the president. The rumors are so widespread that our friend in Washington tells us the CIA was asked to validate the story regarding the president's state of health.

The real score – as my very reliable source told me – is that President Rody has been very fatigued by his recent travels – something which the president himself had candidly admitted in the past, saying he had also lost some weight and that his tight schedule during official visits abroad makes him want to just go home and rest in bed.

He admits abhorring long overseas trips, which is why the trip to Russia last May – which is about 14 and a half hours with one stopover – must have been the trigger for tiring him out, as he barely had time to get used to the new time zone before he had to pack his bags again to fly home to Manila because of the Marawi situation. He reportedly pushed himself hard going around military camps in Mindanao to visit wounded soldiers – and attending several wakes.

People who saw the president (who flew from Cagayan de Oro to Villamor Air Base) as he waited for the arrival honors for the Marines – noted the “tired,” silent grief etched on his face. “No one could mistake the genuine sorrow he felt when he spoke and condoled with the families during the wake at Bonifacio,” our source told us.

No doubt all of these things have taken their toll on the president – who had after all been candid about having Buerger’s disease that afflicts the arteries and veins on the arms and legs, and which could cause inflammation of the blood vessels. The president said he acquired the disease from smoking – which is why he had pushed a bill banning smoking in public places. A motorcycle accident when he was mayor of Davao City also resulted in a spinal injury that causes migraines, for which he has to take medications.

And then there is the age of the president. While 72 today is considered 62 due to modern medicine, and there are people who are in excellent health well above 70 – in the case of President Rody, his biological age may be older than his chronological age. A doctor who knows him told me about his lifestyle – he usually doesn’t go to sleep until early morning, a habit acquired years ago when he was mayor going around Davao City at night. Nowadays, the burden of the office of the president can literally age a person overnight.

No one can deny that the rigors of the presidency can dramatically age anybody. As a matter of fact, this was very evident with Barack Obama who looked very young and vigorous when he first stepped into the White House. But after eight years as president, Obama had become noticeably older with his white hair, the frown lines and the grim expression that has replaced the easy grin that he used to have.

And by the way, my idol John F. Kennedy also suffered from several ailments. He had excruciating back and abdominal pains due to colitis and Addison’s disease even before he entered the White House. JFK was in such poor health – which was kept a secret during his presidency – that some say he would not have lived long even without getting assassinated.

For a man like Duterte who can be emotional and very intense as evidenced by his colorful language, and given his age, the heavy burden of the presidency can indeed be hazardous to one’s health. But I am absolutely certain – the rumors about his impending death are greatly exaggerated.

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