Philippines’ Rodrigo Duterte hurt in motorcycle accident
- He suffered the mishap at the Malacanang presidential palace compound on Wednesday
- Duterte, whose health has been the subject of intense public speculation, was now resting at the palace, his spokesman said
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Duterte, whose health has been the subject of intense public speculation, suffered the mishap at the Malacanang presidential palace compound late Wednesday, according to spokesman Salvador Panelo.
It came 10 days after Duterte disclosed he is suffering from myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disease that could potentially have serious complications.
“The president was reaching for his shoe when he fell off his motorcycle that resulted in a minor injury, particularly light bruises and slight scratches, to his elbow and knee,” Panelo said in a statement.
Duterte reveals he suffers from autoimmune disease myasthenia gravis
Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, his former assistant and close aide, earlier told reporters Duterte had “crashed” and complained of hip pain after the accident, but was not hospitalised.
Panelo, citing Duterte’s girlfriend Cielito “Honeylet” Avancena, said the president’s injury will not require major treatment and “there is nothing to worry about”.
Duterte was trying to park the vehicle after driving around a courtyard, Panelo said, adding the leader was now resting at the palace.
Go later shared a video showing Duterte, wearing formal clothes – without a helmet or other protective gear – riding on a paved drive at night. The actual accident was not shown in the clip.
Panelo declined to explain why there were two versions of the accident, stressing: “Whatever the story is, what is important is he is in good hands – no major injury.”
Questions about his health have swirled since he took office in 2016, with Duterte at times skipping events and meetings or discussing his various ailments during long and rambling speeches.
Duterte revealed in 2016 that he used to take fentanyl, a powerful painkiller, because of a spinal injury from motorcycle accidents.
The 74-year-old president is an avid rider of big motorcycles like Harley Davidsons and has said he once had a serious crash during a long-distance run and could still feel those injuries.
Additional reporting by AP
