MANILA, Philippines — “I came here to you in case you ask where I am. I’m here,” President Rodrigo Duterte said in his pre-recorded briefing that aired on Monday to explain his presence in Surigao del Sur after it was hit by Tropical Storm Auring.
[Original statement in Filipino: “Pinupuntahan ko lang kayo kung magtanong kayo kung nasaan ako, nandito ako.”]
Before the briefing, Duterte also conducted an aerial inspection of Surigao del Sur, one of the areas hardest-hit by the storm, which was reported to have caused one death in the Caraga Region.
In November 2020, the hashtag #NasaanAngPangulo trended online while Super Typhoon Rolly and Typhoon Ulysses hit parts of…
Keep on reading: ‘In case you ask where I am, I’m here,‘ Duterte tells residents of storm-hit Surigao del Sur