Why Duterte's Israel schedule has 'massive holes'

Malacañang on Tuesday doused speculations that the big gaps in President Rodrigo Duterte's schedule in Israel may be a cover for medical treatment.

Majority of Duterte's activities for the four-day trip that began on Sunday were scheduled in the afternoon. He will leave for Jordan on Wednesday afternoon (evening in Manila) for another official visit.

"I think it’s just to enable him [Duterte] to have sufficient time to rest and for the delegation also sufficient time to rest and have a little time to see some of the Holy Land," presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said at a news conference in Jerusalem.

Roque wondered why Duterte would even come to Israel for medical reasons as claimed by the President's critic, Magdalo Representative Gary Alejano.

Speculation about Duterte's itinerary grew louder after Israeli journalist Neri Zilber tweeted on Sunday that he initially dismissed "conspiracy theories" until he noticed "massive holes" in the President's schedule.

Special Assistant to the President Christopher "Bong" Go on Monday slammed Zilber and insisted that Duterte's visit to Israel did not include seeking medical attention.

Duterte earlier quashed claims by Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman Jose Maria Sison that he is suffering from chronic kidney disease and was in coma last month.

The President said the communist leader was the one who was sick and was abusing the privileges allegedly given to him by The Netherlands where he is seeking asylum as a political refugee since 1987. —JST, GMA News