Marcos: I am fine now, just ran out of steam

(UPDATE) PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday assured the public that he is «fine now» following his absence from the dinner reception for the 31st annual meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum in Malacañang last night.

Speaking to reporters, the President said he «just ran out of steam» following his six-day visit to the United States last week.

«I, basically, just ran out of steam yesterday. Hindi pa ako nakapag-recover sa biyahe (I haven't recovered from the long trip),» Marcos said during a media interview on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Healthway Cancer Care Hospital in Taguig City.

«I suppose I just needed rest. I'm fine now. Thank you for your concern,» he added.

The President arrived late Monday night from the US, where he attended the 30th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in San Francisco, California. He also visited Los Angeles and Honolulu in Hawaii before returning to Manila.

Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, who delivered the speech for the President during Thursday's event in Malacañang, said Marcos had been feeling feverish since he returned from his weeklong trip to the US.

He said Marcos, however, had insisted on visiting Samar and General Santos City earlier in the day to see the situation following the flooding and earthquake there, respectively.

The President's plane, however, was forced to land in Tacloban instead of Catarman due to the weather.

In his speech on Friday, Marcos urged all Filipinos to get regular checkups to help them keep an eye on their health.

He made the statement as he noted that cancer remains one of the most dreaded illnesses in the Philippines.

«Early detection allows for patients the best chance in fighting this disease. We therefore encourage all Filipinos to get regular checkups now that we have the facilities by going to the community health centers,» Marcos said in his speech during the inauguration of HCCH.

«We have learned many difficult, tragic lessons from Covid. I'm glad to see that we are applying those lessons learned now to the health care of our people,» he added.