Duterte not feeling well due to campaign sorties, skips Boao forum —Palace

His attendance at the ruling party's campaign sorties has taken its toll President Rodrigo Duterte's health, presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said on Monday.

That, and what Panelo called Duterte's "punishing schedule." 

Duterte was supposed to speak at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia held at the Shangri-la at the Fort in Taguig City but he failed to attend because he was indisposed, according to his spokesperson Salvador Panelo.

"He is not feeling well because of his punishing schedule and successive campaign sorties," Panelo said on Duterte's absence from the event where Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea delivered the keynote speech.

"That’s the reason. Overworked," he said.

Over the past few days, Duterte attended campaign rallies in Bacolod City (April 11), Tuguegarao City, Cagayan (April 16), Batangas City (April 17) and Cabadbaran City, Agusan del Norte (April 21).

Duterte, who is currently in Davao City, skipped the PDP-Laban campaign rally in war-torn Marawi City on April 12 due to inclement weather. Last month, he did not attend two events in Davao City because of migraine.

Carrying the theme "Concerted Action for Common Development in the New Era," the two-day Boao Forum brought together business leaders from the Philippines and China. 

A press statement released by the office of Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said the event aims to "explore the possibility of investing in both the Philippines and China and discuss other future cooperation" as well as "foster closer ties and create goodwill" between the two countries.

Arroyo is a member of the board of Boao Forum, also dubbed as the "Davos of Asia."

Duterte attended last year's edition in the southern province of Hainan where the chief executive had a bilateral meeting with China's President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the event. —NB, GMA News