President Duterte bared on Tuesday that his doctor told him that his Barrett’s esophagus was “nearing stage one cancer”.
In his televised address, the President said he has been advised to stop drinking alcohol to avoid worsening his ailment.
The President previously admitted suffering from Barret’s esophagus due to his alcohol intake. Barrett’s esophagus is a complication of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in which stomach regurgitates its contents into the esophagus and consequently erodes the esophagus, according to the US-based Johns Hopkins Medicine website. The condition can sometimes develop into esophageal cancer, the institute added.
The 75-year-old Duterte talked about his health while discussing his and other old Cabinet members’ commitment to fight corruption during his taped public address aired on state television.
“Matagal na kami sa gobyerno, magpa-retire na lang, bakit pa namin pagsayangan? Kakaunting panahon na lang ang naiwan so walang… walang… walang ganang… wala nang ganang kumain (We have been in government for a long time. We will retire soon so why would we waste it? We have a few years left, we no longer have an appetite to eat),” Duterte said during a meeting with several Cabinet members in Davao City Monday.
Duterte said that old people like him are more concerned about health, and not wealth.
“May pera ka naman, hindi ka na makakain kay sabi ng doktor huwag kang kumain ng taba kasi mamatay ka (You have money but you can’t eat because the doctors said you must not eat fat because you will die),” he said.
“Ikaw Duterte, huwag ka nang uminom kasi ‘yang Barrett mo nearing stage one ka sa cancer. So hindi na rin (Duterte, do not drink because your Barrett is nearing stage one cancer, so I stopped),” he added.
Duterte said he and the rest of the Cabinet are committed to render public service and would let the Lord judge them.
“Ang amin, ang iwan na lang ang trabaho (For us, we would leave behind the job we did),” he said. “Kasi pagharap namin sa Diyos and tanungin ka na, “O ikaw Rodrigo, anong ginawa mo?” Sabi ko, ‘Ginawa ko man lahat’ (Because when we face God and he will ask you, ‘Rodrigo, what did you do? I’ll say ‘I did everything’),” he said.
The President has been staying in his home city of Davao since early August. He recently dispelled rumors he flew to Singapore for a medical emergency, saying he has been in his hometown all along.
Malacañang has assured the nation the President remains healthy and strong as seen by his recent public address.
In 2018, the President said his cancer tests came back negative but admitted he suffers from a bad case of Barrett’s esophagus ailment following a medical checkup. Such ailment worsened because he has been drinking brandy again, he said.
Last year, the President admitted that his doctor takes his blood “almost every other day” due to his Buerger’s disease, an inflammatory condition of the blood vessels.
He also previously admitted he was in “perpetual pain” due to a spinal injury from a motorcycle accident years ago. He once claimed that he was taking fentanyl, a powerful painkiller, to ease the pain.
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