Palace: Other world leaders skipped ASEAN summit events, too

Malacañang on Friday hit back at criticism over the absence of President Rodrigo Duterte from several meetings and events at the 33rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Singapore.

Duterte drew flak for skipping six of the 11 activities on Wednesday, including the gala dinner hosted by Singapore for heads of government, so he could catch up on sleep.

The Makabayan bloc claimed Duterte skipped the ASEAN events to avoid questions on the human rights situation in the Philippines and his South China Sea policy while opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said the President's absence may either be an indication of serious illness or laziness.

Turning the tables on Trillanes, presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the senator "has embarked in his usual publicity getting stunts by maligning the President."

"Accusation that the President is lazy or seriously ill to perform his functions as head of state and government just because he had to take power naps in between a few events to catch on some sleep and energize himself and avoid the embarrassment of dozing off during one of the meetings (as one head of state pitifully succumbed to due to the energy sapping daily activities) is a product of a witless if not a malicious mind," Panelo said.

Panelo suggested it was not uncommon for a world leader to miss some meetings in foreign engagements.

He cited United States President Donald Trump, who was represented in this year's ASEAN meetings by Vice President Mike Pence, and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who "had to be represented in two of the meetings he was presiding because he was indisposed."

"Their absence in those meetings did not make them lazy or seriously ill to perform their duties as presidents of their respective countries," Panelo said, adding reading prepared statements could be done by the countries’ foreign ministers.

"The event did not require his [Duterte] physical presence," he said.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., who represented Duterte in the activities he missed, backed Panelo's observation.

Locsin tweeted on Friday that "other leaders skipped sessions from time to time and their foreign ministers stood in for them."

"But when it counted more he [Duterte] would tap my shoulder and say, 'I think that's my seat,'" said the Cabinet official, who also disputed observations that Duterte's absence was a missed opportunity for the country.

Duterte showed up in meetings lined up for the last day of the 33rd ASEAN Summit and Related Summits on Thursday which concluded with the handing over of the rotating chairmanship of the organization from Singapore to next year's host Thailand.

"President Duterte attended important events that involve the discussion of mutual concerns among the ASEAN members as well as meetings with other top leaders of non-ASEAN countries that affect the security, stability and economy of the region where he vigorously articulated and espoused ideas and theories that could bring about solutions to the Asian countries’ collective problems," Panelo said.

"We assure our people that the President is more than able to fulfill his commitment to the nation."

Duterte is now in Papua New Guinea to attend the 26th Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting, his last overseas engagement before he returns to the country to receive Chinese President Xi Jinping next week. — RSJ, GMA News