President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (SIMEON CELI/ PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO)
However, he lamented that he was not able to personally visit soldiers who were casualties in a clash with the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in Sulu that day.
Troops from the 2nd Special Forces Battalion reportedly clashed with around 15 members of the ASG in Barangay Langhub Friday. The exact number of casualties is yet to be determined.
In a speech at Kuta Heneral Teodulfo Bautista in Jolo, Sulu, Duterte said that he was disappointed about not being able to visit the casualties from the 15-minute clash due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“Before I read the prepared speech, I just like to say something from my heart. One is that, well, I am disappointed that I cannot go to the hospital,” he said in his speech on Friday but belatedly broadcast Saturday morning.