Duterte cancels attendance at Bonifacio Day rites

President Rodrigo Duterte canceled his attendance to the commemoration of the 155th birth anniversary of revolutionary hero Andres Bonifacio in Caloocan City, Malacañang said Friday.

Duterte’s spokesperson, Salvador Panelo, said Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea will attend on behalf of the President.

“He [Duterte] has to fly to Mindanao to attend to the problem of insurgency in Mindanao,” Panelo said in a message to reporters.

Duterte was supposed to lead the wreath laying ceremony at the Bonifacio Monument expected to be attended by Armed Forces chief General Carlito Galvez Jr. and National Historical Commission of the Philippines chairman Dr. Rene Escalante.

The President also did not take part in the 154th birth anniversary rites last year due to a commitment in Mindanao. Instead, he issued a statement calling on Filipinos to fight corruption, criminality and illegal drugs as well as terror and violence.

“Like Bonifacio, let us light the flames of change that will bring about real and meaningful transformation in our nation,” Duterte said.  — Virgil Lopez/RSJ, GMA News