Palace on Duterte skipping ASEAN events: He's resting

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte had to rest, the Palace said Wednesday to explain his absence from events at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Singapore.

"Last night, the President worked late and had only less than three hours of sleep," presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement to media. Panelo added that during the events that the president missed, "he took power naps to catch on sleep."

Panelo added that the Palace "finds it amusing that some quarters are making a big fuss of the president's skipping a few meetings in today's ASEAN Related Summits."

This is not the first time that the president has missed events while on official trips and the reports on his absence from events at the ASEAN summit were routine.

Among the events the Palace acknowledged that Duterte missed are the ASEAN-Australia Informal Breakfast Summit, the 20th ASEAN - Republic of Korea Summit, a working lunch hosted by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and the Second Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Summit.

Duterte also missed a gala dinner hosted by Prime Minister Lee to rest.

READ: Duterte no-show at Australian-ASEAN summit anew

"In the four meetings the president did not attend, he tasked Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. to represent him and to read his remarks," the Palace also pointed out.

Palace: Duterte attended inmportant gatherings

Duterte had attended the ASEAN-China Summit, the signing ceremony for the Memorandum of Understanding between the Eurasian Economic Commission and ASEAN on Economic Cooperation, and a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Lee.

"In important gatherings of the ASEAN members with dialogue partners, such as where Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the group, the President attended and expressed the country’s sentiments and stand vis-a-vis the three aforesaid leaders' remarks," Panelo also said.

"We assure the nation that his aforementioned absence has nothing to do with his physical health and well-being which have been the subject of speculation," Panelo also said, adding Duterte's "punishing work schedule is proof that he is in top physical shape."

Reports on the president's absences on Wednesday did not mention his health nor speculations surrounding it.