MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte, subject of renewed speculation owing to his “disappearance” from the public eye for several days last week, reminded Filipinos on Wednesday that if anything should happen to him, they should simply follow the constitutional path of succession and support his vice president.
Addressing the Presidential Security Group (PSG) at its anniversary, Duterte poked fun anew at those who had been spreading news he was “in coma” but nonetheless pointed out the possibility that anything could happen to him.
At the start of his address, Duterte joked, “there are two claimants to the presidency,” and mentioned controversial lawyer Elly Velez Pamatong as having been busy “organizing,” as claiming he has “deposed” him, and as having said, “mag-take over na siya.”
“There is a pretender to the throne. Assuming that I die within ….pwede tomorrow, next month, there are two claimants to the presidency. Ang isa nag-organize na and he claimed that he has deposed me. Presidential candidate pamato, si Pamatong. Sabi niya nag-take over na siya. Eh ngayon, nandyan si Leni baka magkamali kayo ng kampo, ha. Dito tayo sa Konstitusyon. There is a succession there [But then there’s Leni, and you might make a mistake in choosing whom to support],” referring to Robredo who is his constitutional successor.
His Facebook page describes Pamatong, who has had run-ins with the law during past regimes for his colorful stunts, as a “Christian with Moro trademarks.”
Duterte alluded anew to his health after some quarters pressed Malacañang Palace to disclose the real condition of Duterte, who in the past had revealed he has “If I am not around and you do not see me, siguradong nasa kama ako [I’d certainly be in bed].” He repeated his joke that one report had earlier got it wrong in saying he was “in coma” when in fact, he said, he was “in kama,” referring to the Filipino word for bed.
