MANILA, Philippines – Other leaders reportedly or admittedly did it — former presidents Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, ex-senator Juan Ponce Enrile, and former first lady Imelda Marcos.
And maybe there’s nothing wrong if President Rodrigo Duterte also underwent stem cell therapy.
But while Duterte’s spokesperson noted that the chief executive appeared to be looking younger and more attractive nowadays, Ernesto Abella said Friday, July 14, that he didn’t receive any information to confirm swirling speculations that Duterte had undergone the procedure done through therapies such as transplantation of blood stem cells, bone marrow transplant, or the use of umbilical cord blood.
“He looks guwapo [handsome], right?,” Abella told reporters, but added that as far as he knew, the President didn’t undergo such treatment. Also known as regenerative medicine, it supposedly treats or prevents a disease or condition and helps repair body organs.
Abella nonetheless admitted that what he knew about the matter was limited so far.
On Thursday, July 13, Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar sidestepped a query on reports about the same issue.
Instead of answering the question, Andanar said during a radio interview on dzRH that, “You know, when we started last year, (the President) attended 1,355 activities in his first 365 days in Malacañang, the People’s Palace. That’s an average of four activities a day.”
“We can see how industrious President Duterte is… he just continues to do what he is doing. He is working hard for the country, and he is working hard for the people,” he added.
The reports came out following Duterte’s frequent absence from public view since last month, starting with the June 12 Independence Day rites – his first, supposedly.
Last June 28, Duterte told the public that they would see less of him until the crisis in Marawi ends.
“May mga lakad akong di n’yo dapat malaman…Pagkatapos na siguro [I will have trips that you should not know about…Maybe after], when I’m through with this job, then I’ll tell you everything,” he said.
