Duterte’s Health: Few Media Point Out Public’s Right to Know

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LATE ON July 22, the eve of President Duterte’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), news online reported that the president had gone to Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City, citing Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque as source. Roque said it was a “routine” check-up which took an hour and a half.  According to the reports, Roque said the president “was declared to be in good health” and that Duterte proceeded to Malacanang afterwards to rehearse the SONA. He did not identify attending physician nor shared any other information about the medical examinations or tests done.

On July 23, GMA News TV’s morning newscast News to Go carried the report on the check-up, also quoting Roque. A flash report did the same for ABS-CBN 2. The Philippine Star reported the check-up as well.

In a press briefing on July 26 in Zamboanga Sibugay, Roque opened by debunking “rumors” that President Rodrigo Duterte had to be “rushed to the hospital.” Roque called the talk “tsismis” and “fake news” saying that Duterte went for a regular check-up before the SONA but that he had not been in a medical facility since.

But if there were rumors, Roque should understand that there is every reason to wonder about the president’s health. Even the healthiest individual in that high office will get asked about the state of his health from time to time, given the stress of the office. Official hackles need not rise over such talk. The people have a right to know. And the spokesperson should be the first to realize that vagueness on the president’s health issues can only feed public speculation and conjecture.

News reports have on record the times when Duterte himself had admitted that he was suffering from severe medical conditions. So why such annoyance? It should be the people who should be annoyed. Periodic reports on the status of the president’s health are a matter of procedure during the term of office. A physician in charge is identified. And it is this attending medical specialist who issues the bill of health, not the presidential spokesperson.

Cheer!

CMFR cheers the Philippine Daily Inquirer for pointing out that questioning the president’s health has legal basis, and for recalling how Duterte’s health issues have affected his performance of duty.

In its report on July 27, the Inquirer said: “Section 12 of Article VII of the Constitution states that the public must be informed of the President’s health in case of serious illness.” GMA-7’s 24 Oras and the online counterparts of CNN Philippines and The Manila Times briefly mentioned this constitutional provision in their reports on July 22 and 23.

The Inquirer report however was comprehensive, providing further context by recalling previous instances when Duterte talked about his supposed illnesses, such as Buerger’s disease and Barrett’s esophagus. It also referred to the president’s disclosure that he was taking Fentanyl, a potent painkiller usually prescribed to cancer patients, and to the occasions when the president excused himself from official events because of ill health. Supported by research, the article also provided information about the illnesses mentioned by the president and the side effects of Fentanyl.

“The President’s health has been a national concern but the Palace has firmly refused the suggestion of issuing medical bulletins about it,” the Inquirer said.

In a July 2017 monitor, CMFR referred to the cases of former presidents Fidel V. Ramos and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, both of whom instructed their physicians to issue public bulletins about their medical conditions and observed that “Duterte and his officials seem set on making the president’s health issue irrelevant.” Roque’s recent dismissal of the same question indicates that this remains the administration’s official stand.

Soon after Duterte’s election, a reporter provoked presidential ire for asking about his health. Other incidents have made media timid about inquiring into this highly public concern. The official position he holds trumps any claim for his personal privacy. There should be no excuse for the press to sweep the president’s health under the rug.