Take the Asean summit first: it appeared that Mr. Duterte attended some events and exchanged pleasantries with other leaders. He missed the Asean special summits with Australia and South Korea, the working lunch for Asean leaders and the gala dinner. To explain the decision, officials in the Philippine delegation told the media that President Duterte had to take “power naps” because of the heavy schedule. This was followed by bewildering and conflicting reports about the President’s attendance of the APEC summit in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. The truth is President Duterte, who will be turning 74 in a few months, can be exhausted by the schedules and ceremonies of the summit.

Source: Manila Times November 18, 2018 16:07 UTC