MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday revealed that he experienced pain in the spine earlier in the day, delaying his arrival to an afternoon appointment.

• Duterte says he suffers from back pains, migraine

Duterte said he was late for the oath-taking of his appointees at the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission because “my spinal is acting up again.”

The event was scheduled at 5 p.m. but the President arrived at the venue in Malacañang past 6 p.m.

The President said that from a Go Negosyo event in Pasay City, he had to pass by his “house” to get some medication. He stays at the Bahay Pagbabago in Malacañang.

Duterte, 72, had suffered from a slipped disc due to a motorcycle accident. He previously explained he chews gum to ease the pain on his spine. He had also said he used to take fentanyl, a powerful painkiller usually prescribed to cancer patients, to deal with the spinal pain.

• Duterte explains gum-chewing habit

He also has Buerger’s disease, a condition that causes constriction of blood vessels due to nicotine. The President, the oldest to hold the post, also suffers from a condition called Barrett’s esophagus, a complication of gastroesophageal reflux disease.

While he has disclosed such details about his physical condition, the President is sometimes sensitive to questions about the state of his health.

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