Duterte defers visit to quake-hit Cotabato

DAVAO CITY , Philippines — Instead of going to North Cotabato for a town hall meeting today with farmers and residents affected by the recent earthquakes in Mindanao, President Duterte has changed plans and opted to visit Eastern Samar to pay his last respects to six soldiers killed in an encounter with communist guerrillas recently.

Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go bared the change in presidential schedule but provided no details. Duterte has been working from home since Tuesday.

Homemade bombs killed the six soldiers and 20 of their comrades were wounded as some 50 members of the New People’s Army engaged them in a gun battle in Borongan City, Eastern Samar last Monday.

It was not clear if the meeting with farmers would still push through. The farmers requested a meeting with the President to raise their problem concerning their receipt of donated defective tractors.

The President, meanwhile, took advantage of his extended stay in his hometown by indulging in his favorite dishes, while doing some paperwork.

“He kept ordering his favorite food. He ate a lot. Looked like he caught up on his eating,” a source told The STAR.

The President is never fond of food served in fancy restaurants or of anything foreign to his taste, even after assuming the presidency that forced him to spend most of his time in Manila.

For the past three days, the President has been enjoying tuna paksiw, dried fish, humba pao, ginisang monggo and his favorite flaked carabao tapa.

The President reportedly did not go out of the house or entertain any visitor.

“It looked like the President had his fill of his favorite foods while taking things slow here in his hometown for the past three days,” The STAR source said.

The President is also set to take his last foreign trip for the year next week to Busan, South Korea for the 30th anniversary of the ASEAN+Korea Dialogue.