Duterte pictured riding a quad bike days after ‘unbearable pain’ caused him to cut short Japan trip

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte had a medical check-up after suffering severe pain during his trip to attend Japanese Emperor Naruhito’s enthronement

He had a motorcycle accident last week but still went for a late night ATV ride in the early hours of Friday morning, according to Senator Christopher ‘Bong’ Go

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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was pictured atop an all-terrain vehicle alongside Senator Chrisopher ‘Bong’ Go in the early hours of Friday morning. Photo: Facebook / christopherbong.go

Published: 7:00am, 25 Oct 2019Updated: 9:29am, 25 Oct 2019

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was pictured riding an all-terrain vehicle in the early hours of Friday morning, just days after cutting short a trip to Japan because of “unbearable pain” in his spinal column following a motorcycle fall last week.

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, a former long-time aide who still accompanies the president, shared a picture on Facebook showing the 74-year-old Duterte atop the vehicle, which he said the president rode around the Malacanang Palace compound for about 10 minutes.

In a live-streamed briefing on Wednesday, Go said the pain Duterte had experienced “was purely muscle spasms” and was not caused by a pinched nerve.

He was prescribed medicines and needs to rest, Go said.

Duterte, who previously said he has spinal issues and suffers from daily migraines, on Tuesday cut short his visit to Japan to attend the enthronement of Emperor Naruhito in Tokyo. He was supposed to stay in Japan until Thursday.

Duterte and his daughter, Sara Duterte-Carpio, in Japan. Photo: AFP

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