MANILA (UPDATED) — President Rodrigo Duterte is on quarantine after exposure to COVID-19, Malacañang said on Thursday, following his absence from the public eye for over a week.

Duterte "was recently exposed to household staff who tested positive for COVID-19," his acting spokesman Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles confirmed.

He said the President's last COVID-19 exposure was on Sunday, Jan. 30.

"The President has since been tested for COVID-19, and while the results of the test came back negative, he is currently observing mandatory quarantine protocols," Nograles said in a statement.

He said the President received negative test results both on Monday and Tuesday.

Nograles later confirmed that Duterte went to the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan "for his routine medical check-up only."

The Palace official did not say when the President visited the hospital. He has also yet to respond to media question on where the President is currently staying.

Duterte's close ally Sen. Christopher "Bong" Go on Thursday sent a selfie with the President and his personal physician on board a vehicle for the check up. He did not specify when the photo was taken.

"Proof lang (just a proof) he is ok," Go said of the photo.

Asked why the President went to the hospital while still on quarantine, the senator said, "Tapos na yata (it seems to be done)."

He added the check up was a decision of the President's doctor.

The President's last public appearance was a two-part taped national address that aired on Jan 24 and 25.

Nograles said Duterte "continues to work while in quarantine, and is in constant communication with the members of the Cabinet in order to ensure that urgent matters are addressed, and to monitor the implementation of his directives, particularly with regard to the government’s COVID-19 response."

The elderly and people with comorbidity are at risk of developing severe COVID-19.

The 76-year-old Duterte, the oldest to become President, earlier said he suffers from Barrett’s esophagus, an inflammation of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.

The President, in various instances, said he also struggled with back pains, migraines and Buerger's disease, which is linked to blockages in blood vessels associated with smoking during his youth.

Duterte completed 2 doses of the Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine in July. He has also received a booster jab from the same Chinese drug maker, Nograles said in January.

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