PRESIDENTIAL spokesman Harry Roque yesterday said President Duterte is not sick but “emotional” due to the death of four soldiers in Jolo, Sulu at the hands of policemen last week.
Roque said there is nothing to worry about the health of the President, adding he is sad and down which some people may have mistaken as being sick.
He is in low spirits because he is sad. That was the first time that I saw the President in that state. He is like a father who lost a child because of infighting… So that’s not health-related, it’s more of an emotional issue,” he said.
The President on Friday visited Zamboanga City and talked to members of the Armed Forces about the death of four army intelligence officers and enlisted personnel allegedly in a misencounter with cops. Duterte had also talked to the nine police officers involved in the incident.
Roque also said preparations for the fifth state of the nation address of the President are underway but it is still uncertain if he would deliver it via a live telecast or to an audience of 50 persons, including members of the Senate and the House, or 50 percent of the capacity at the Batasan Hall in Congress.
The SONA is slated on July 27.
The Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) will hold the first Pre-SONA forum on Wednesday with the theme “Tatak Pagbabago 2020: The Pre-SONA Forum” for the economic development and infrastructure cluster.
It will be followed by a briefing organized by the PCOO’s Office of the Global Media and Public Affairs (OGMPA).
The forum aims to report to the public about the accomplishments of the different departments and the insights on terms of fulfilling the key priorities of the administration.
