ENTHRONEMENT RITES. Photo from the Japanese Government shows President Rodrigo R. Duterte and his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, witnessing the Ceremony of the Enthronement of His Majesty Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan on October 22, 2019. Malacañang said the President’s attendance to the enthronement rites will further boost the Philippines-Japan ties.
MANILA -- The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has denied allegations that President Rodrigo Duterte, who attended Emperor Naruhito's enthronement ceremony on Tuesday, shortened his Tokyo trip after he was "unceremoniously ignored" in Japan.
"I verified with Tokyo (Philippine Embassy), the allegations are false," DFA Assistant Secretary Eduardo Meñez told reporters on Thursday.
The statement came after a certain Ding Velasco alleged that the Chief Executive was faking his pelvic pain as a "ruse" to leave "for having been unceremoniously ignored in Japan."
Duterte, who witnessed on Tuesday the formal ascension of Emperor Naruhito to the Chrysanthemum Throne, cut short his Japan visit due to “unbearable” back pain caused by a recent motorcycle accident.
After arriving in Manila on Tuesday night, he proceeded to the wake of former Senate president Aquilino "Nene" Pimentel. The president was supposed to extend his trip until Thursday but decided to fly back home to see his neurologist on Wednesday.
READ: Duterte back in PH, visits Nene Pimentel’s wake
In his Facebook post that had gone viral since Wednesday, Velasco questioned the move, asking why the president had to bypass Malacañang to rest and attend Pimentel's wake.
According to Malacañang, "notwithstanding his trip to Japan being cut short due to a searing pain in the spinal pelvic area of his body, the President was able to endure the same" and headed to his "personal friend's" wake.
In his lengthy post, Velasco also speculated that "nobody of high rank from the Japanese Foreign Ministry came" to meet the delegation led by the Chief Executive, a claim denied by the DFA.
"As far as I am informed by the Philippine embassy, Ambassador Kazuhide Ishikawa (former ambassador to the Philippines) and MOFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) Senior Official in charge of the Kansai region of Japan, met the President on arrival," Meñez told the Philippine News Agency.
Emperor Naruhito marked his official enthronement following the abdication of his father Emperor Akihito on April 30. The ceremony was attended by thousands of guests, including royals and heads of state, from more than 180 countries and regions. (PNA)
