More Filipinos are worried about the health of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, according to a nationwide survey taken two months after he faced a cancer scare.
The poll, conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) in December, showed that 66 per cent of Filipinos are ‘worried a great deal’ and ‘somewhat worried’ that the 73-year-old president has health problems.
The rate was up from 55 per cent in September.
Thirty-four per cent of 1,440 respondents nationwide were ‘not worried at all’ and ‘somewhat unworried’ about Duterte's health, the SWS said on Wednesday.
Concern about Duterte's health was ‘especially high’ among respondents from the southern region of Mindanao, where he comes from, with 73 per cent worrying about it, the survey showed.
The capital region of Metro Manila followed with 66 per cent, it added.
In October, Duterte faced a cancer scare after doctors found a growth in his digestive tract. But cancer tests produced negative results.
Duterte has been dogged by rumours about his health since he became president in 2016. In July, he was reportedly rushed to hospital after throwing up blood while on a visit to Malaysia.
He has shot down any calls for his administration to release a regular medical bulletin about his health.
He has admitted having Buerger's disease, a condition that causes constriction of the blood vessels due to nicotine, and Barrett's oesophagus, which is associated with an increased risk of developing oesophageal cancer.
Duterte also has a misaligned spine following a motorcycle accident years ago.