President needed cane during attendance to Japanese Emperor's enthronement

MANILA (UPDATE) - President Rodrigo Duterte is cutting short his trip to Japan due to pain near his pelvic area following his motorbike accident last week, Malacañang said Tuesday.

Malacañang said Duterte was experiencing "unbearable pain in his spinal column near the pelvic bone as a consequence of his fall during his motorcycle ride last week."

He is due for a checkup with his neurologist on Wednesday, said Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo.

Still, he assured the public about the President's health.

"While this was unforeseeable, the public can rest assured that there is nothing to worry [about] as regards the physical health and condition of the President as he gives serious priority thereto in actively serving our country," he said.

Duterte had just arrived in Tokyo Tuesday morning for a two-day trip for the enthronement of Japanese Emperor Naruhito.

Panelo said the President was able to witness the enthronement rites, which brought together leaders from around the world, but was "carrying a cane to assist him in his walk."

He would miss the emperor's banquet Tuesday night and requested daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, who had traveled with him and also attended the enthronement ceremony, to represent him, the spokesperson said.

• LOOK: Duterte arrives in Japan for Emperor Naruhito's enthronement

The President is due back home Tuesday night.

The Palace had said Duterte, 74, was "okay" after a motorcycle incident inside the Malacañang compound last Thursday.

The President had suffered from a slipped disc due to an earlier motorcycle accident. He complained of spinal pain back in 2017.

• Spinal pain delays Duterte to appointment

Duterte, the oldest in history elected Philippine President, had revealed earlier this month that he has myasthenia gravis, a chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease.

The illness causes "weakness in the skeletal muscles, which are responsible for breathing and moving parts of the body, including the arms and legs," according to the US National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke.

• Duterte says he has chronic neuromuscular disease

He also has Buerger's disease, a cause of blockages in the blood vessels, associated with smoking during his youth.