Charles Teves
President Rodrigo Duterte revealed on Tuesday that his Barrett’s disease is nearing stage one cancer so he should watch his diet, as advised by his doctor.
“’Ikaw Duterte, huwag ka nang uminom kasi ‘yang Barrett mo nearing stage one ka sa cancer,’” Duterte said, reiterating his doctor’s words.
The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy defines Barrett’s esophagus as “a condition in which the lining of the esophagus changes, becoming more like the lining of the small intestine rather than the esophagus. This occurs in the area where the esophagus is joined to the stomach.”
Duterte opened up about his health as he assured the public that the coronavirus funds will not be pocketed by the corrupt.
“Matagal na kami sa gobyerno, magparetire na lang, bakit pa namin pagsayangan? Kakaunting panahon na lang ang naiwan so walang — walang — walang ganang — wala nang ganang kumain,” he said.
Duterte also said that he, along with his elderly Cabinet officials will do their best for the public before dying.
“Ang amin, ang iwan na lang ang trabaho. Kasi pagharap namin sa Diyos and tanungin ka na, ‘O ikaw Rodrigo, anong ginawa mo?’
“Sabi ko, ‘Ginawa ko man lahat. Ito man si [Finance Secretary Carlos] Dominguez ang walang pera.’ Totoo. Eh saan ‘yang pera? Eh naubos na niya, inutang na niya lahat eh, wala nang magpautang. Si [Defense Secretary] Lorenzana, ah wala ‘yan. Kung bala pati armas may maibigay ‘yan pero medisina kailangan pera, cold cash talaga ‘yan,” said Duterte.
Last May, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal to release the president’s health records.
Under Section 12, Article 7 of the 1987 Constitution, the President is mandated to notify the public of his health in case he suffers from serious conditions.
Duterte also has acute bronchitis, which was disclosed during the 2016 campaign trail.
He canceled his speech at a convention of doctors at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Pasig City after experiencing a migraine attack and was confined at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center.
Presidential assistant Bong Go told reporters that Duterte was just okay.
“Advised to rest lang siya. He is okay. Exhausted lang last ten days. Migraine lang and acute bronchitis,” Go said.
Duterte added that the migraine attacks stem from a motorcycle accident in the 1960s that caused a major spinal injury.
In December of the same year, Duterte told reporters that the migraine attacks are frequent which he attributed to his Buerger’s disease.
“I have this migraine every day…I have a lot of issues with my spine. What I have is really Buerger’s disease. It’s an acquired thing that you get from smoking, because of nicotine.”
Buerger’s disease has no known cure but the severity can be reduced by lessening or entirely quitting smoking.
“I have a lot of issues with my spinal… My doctor would want to operate. But you know my wife was a nurse and she used to work in the US. She said a lot of operations for the spinal that went awry, that went wrong,” he said.
“Don’t believe in cancer. What I have is Buerger’s disease. It’s an acquired thing that you get when smoking because of nicotine. Nicotine constricts the vessels. Alcohol dilates the vessels,” he added.
Further, the president also suffers from a rare nerve malfunction called myasthenia gravis, causing one of his eyelids to droop.
“May talent ako. Magtingin ako sa ‘yo, ‘yung isang mata ko bumaba. Tingnan mo maliit ‘yung isa. ‘Di ba maliit? Nagsasariling biyahe ‘yan,” Duterte told Filipinos in Moscow, Russia in 2019.
“Actually, that’s myasthenia gravis. It’s a nerve malfunction. I got it from my grandfather. Ganun rin siya. So I believe, really, in genetics,” he added.
The US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NIDS) describes myasthenia gravis as “a chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease that causes weakness in the skeletal muscles, which are responsible for breathing and moving parts of the body, including the arms and legs.”
It has also been speculated lately that he has COVID-19 and liver cirrhosis.
