Stop bugging him: Philippine leader brushes off finger-sized pest

[May 10, 2019]    MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte seemed unfazed when a finger-sized cockroach scrambled onto his shoulder as he spoke at a campaign rally on Wednesday night.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte arrives to greet the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at Colonel Jesus Villamor Air Base in Manila, Philippines, Thursday, February 28, 2019. Andrew Harnik/Pool via REUTERS

Duterte, 74, was endorsing Senate candidates at the event in central Bohol province when the insect ran up his left shoulder, video footage showed.

A female aide hurried forward to flick the bug off, but it ran down the front of the president's shirt. Alerted by his anxious aide, Duterte swatted the roach away.

He then stomped on the floor and joked that the insect may have been planted by the main opposition Liberal party.

"It's Liberal! That's for sure," Duterte said to laughter from the crowd.

Duterte then continued with the rest of his two-hour speech.

(Reporting by Ronn Bautista, Writing by Karishma Singh; Editing by Darren Schuettler)

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