President Rodrigo Duterte jogged in the night and rode a bike while isolating himself to avoid catching COVID-19, based on photos released Saturday by his long-time aide.
It's "sad and difficult" to lead the Philippines and Duterte needs the public's support, said Sen. Bong Go, who did not say when and where the photos were taken.
Earlier this week, Go released photos of himself and the President at work. He did not specify the time and location of the photos, sparking talk on Twitter that it might be photoshopped.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Friday said it was Duterte's usual critics who were saying that the photos were doctored. "Let them be," Roque said.
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Duterte had not spoken in public since his March 29 address to the nation. He cancelled all appearances this week after Cabinet secretaries and members of his security detail tested positive for the virus.
During the President's absence, the country reported record cases and deaths in a single day, at 15,310 and 401, respectively over separate days.
The Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19 will decide later Saturday whether to extend or downgrade the ECQ that locked down 24 million people in Metro Manila, Laguna, Cavite, Rizal and Bulacan.