Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s prolonged absence from public view has stoked speculation that he’s sick or even dead.
Duterte has not been seen in public since March 29, and was notably silent as daily COVID-19 infections and deaths reached new heights over the last two weeks.
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The president’s inner circle has sought to quash rumors of his sickness and death by posting photos of him with the day’s newspapers placed on his desk.
When that failed to put the rumors to rest, Senator Christopher Go, Duterte’s most trusted aide, posted videos of him playing golf and biking in the middle of the night.
“He is here and he is working hard,” Go said, criticizing those who wish Duterte ill.
The absence of the president from public view has angered citizens who fault him for failing to contain the worsening spread of the coronavirus in the country.
The Philippines has more active coronavirus cases than any other country in Southeast Asia, and its vaccine rollout has been dogged by delays in vaccine procurements and line-jumping. The number of daily new cases hit a record 15,310 on April 2 and that of deaths reached a record 400 on April 9.
But the attempts to prove that Duterte was alive and well did not please critics, who said the president should work to fight the pandemic rather than golfing.
On social media, some Filipinos said there was no difference whether Duterte was present or absent. Some even wished the rumors were true.
“Individual Filipinos have their personal reasons for this wishful thinking,” Jan Robert Go, assistant professor of political science at University of the Philippines, told VICE World News.
“Given the current situation of the Philippines, there seems to be a demand for a better leader to take over and manage the health crisis as it should have been,” he said. “At this time, the country needs a working president, not simply a living one.”
76-year-old Duterte has been absent from his regular weekly pre-recorded television address since March 29 and has made no public appearances since then.
A supposed televised appearance on April 7, after a Holy Week break, was cancelled. The presidential campaign said that was because several of Duterte’s bodyguards had tested positive for COVID-19.
The palace has insisted that Duterte is alive. His spokesperson said he would address the nation on Monday.
