President Rodrigo Duterte really knows how to tell misplaced jokes.
On Thursday, March 18, Duterte in his speech at an event at Tacloban City, took a moment to ask for a piece of tissue and coughed.
After he paused to cough, Duterte joked about his condition, stating that he may have cancer as a result of karma.
“Iyong pag-ubo ko, progressive. Baka cancer na ang p***** ***,” the President joked.
However, netizens think that his “joke” about having cancer may be good news for the Philippines.
Twitter personality Francis Baraan IV took to Twitter to share his opinion regarding the “progressive cough” of the President. According to Baraan, Duterte should resign if he indeed is sick and let his second-in-command, Vice President Leni Robredo lead the country. But if he is not sick, Baraan said that the president is still cancer to society.
If he is sick, then, I think the President should resign and #LetLeniLead already. If he isn't sick, then, he is still a cancer—a cancer to our society. https://t.co/1f1XZv4a15
— Francis Baraan IV (@MrFrankBaraan) March 18, 2021
Another Twitter personality, Mia Magdalena Longid expressed her desire to know what ails the president.
We demand to know what it is. https://t.co/NTJx9KgkKk
— Miss Maggie (@MiaMagdalena) March 18, 2021
Pres. Duterte recently was under heavy criticism from the public after he claimed that Covid-19 was a small thing during his televised speech last Monday.
A netizen even used the “return-to-sender” card by saying that the progressive cough is a small thing to Duterte.
https://twitter.com/rgapas_/status/1372556746602942465
@sushibaeked, upon hearing the news about Duterte claiming that he may have cancer wrote, “the world is healing”.
https://twitter.com/sushibaeked/status/1372640223809564675
Meanwhile, blogger Lodelico Sy considered Duterte’s joke as his own way of looking for sympathy. However, the blogger insisted that the public is demanding to know when and where is the vaccine that the national government has promised.
Pa-pity, paawa, panglito! Isa lang gustong malaman ng tao sa ngayon. Put*ngNamo! #NasaanAngBakuna? https://t.co/0MP4ROXw4m
— #SyLicoNgaAko (@SyLicoNgaAko) March 18, 2021
In August 2020, Duterte has been told by his doctor that he is at risk of developing cancer from Barrett’s esophagus, an inflammation of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach. Duterte, himself, in a previous speech, has disclosed that his doctor advised him to stop drinking alcoholic beverages and eat fatty foods as his Barett’s is nearing stage one cancer.
With Duterte’s assessment that he already has cancer, athough it was a joke, a netizen wished that it is true for the sake of the nation.
https://twitter.com/_IMKAYUMANGGI/status/1372559060021637120
Duterte’s statement will for sure have mixed reactions from citizens. That is why a netizen went to tweet the possible explanation of the presidential spokesperson Harry Roque—that the President is just joking.
https://twitter.com/animonator/status/1372539571603337218
One of Covid-19’s symptoms is coughing. That is why a netizen irked at the president’s remark that his cough was because of him having cancer. The netizen then pointed out the possibility that Duterte may have been infected by the coronavirus, the disease that he keeps on downplaying.
https://twitter.com/MartinBravoMD/status/1372547054132551696
Meanwhile, his spokesperson, Harry Roque translated the statement of Duterte as a joke.
“Nagbibiro lang si Presidente na baka cancer na ito. That should not be taken to mean he really has cancer,” explained Roque during a briefing. “The President is a lawyer and he knows the Constitution. Kung mayroon siyang seryosong karamdaman, ipagbibigay alam niya ito sa publiko.”
Roque also denied that he has made close contact with the president after testing positive for Covid-19.
