Sara flies to Singapore

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio admitted going to Singapore on Tuesday for health reasons.

“I am on leave from April 6 to 10, 2021,” Duterte-Carpio said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

Mayor Sara Duterte

“I have a travel authority to Singapore from the DILG,” she added, referring to the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

“The reason is personal health management,” Duterte-Carpio said.

She added that she would observe all protocols on her return to Davao City, including reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction or RT-PCR testing and 14-day quarantine.
All of these have been “pre-arranged,” the mayor said.

News of her flying to Singapore broke as Malacañang announced that President Rodrigo Duterte would not make his usual weekly public appearance this week.

Presidential Security Group (PSG) chief Jesus Durante 3rd gave assurances that Duterte was “safe and in good health.”

Durante made the assurance after admitting that around 45 members of the PSG tested positive for Covid-19.

“Recently we had 126 cases but now may mga na-clear na sa quarantine, so we are down to around 45 active cases,” Durante said in an interview over state-run People’s Television Network.

“As the number of Covid-19 cases continue to rise in our country, the Presidential Security Group is not spared from the virus as our personnel continue to perform our mandate during presidential engagements and routine security operations,” Durante said in a statement.

“At the least, our PSG personnel who got infected are not directly or closely detailed with the President and are all asymptomatic. Hence, rest assured that the President is safe and in good health,” he added.

Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go also assured the public that the President was in good health.

He said Duterte would stay in Manila for now.

“The President’s Talk to the People address is postponed to avoid putting him at risk due to the reported Covid-19 cases in the PSG. Even [Defense] Secretary [Delfin] Lorenzana was also found positive of Covid-19 just yesterday,” Go said in a text message.

“However, there is nothing to worry about when it comes to PRRD’s (President Duterte) health. Nasa mabuting kalagayan naman po ang Pangulo. In fact, magkasama kami kanina at patuloy ang kanyang trabaho,” he added.