With a parade of recent stories casting a negative light on President Rodrigo Duterte’s health, his former assistant Senator Christopher “Bong” Go took it upon himself to post a set of photos last night of himself and the definitely-not-injured head of state astride a pair of manly hogs.

In a caption accompanying the post on his Facebook account, Go wrote, “Father Digong and I are ready!!! Wanna come with us? Ready Set Go!!!”

Upon closer inspection, however, the photos raise questions like, why is the lighting on Duterte and Go’s faces different? Why does Duterte’s outline look different in two versions of what is clearly the same image? And finally, why does Go’s left leg appear to be cleanly lopped off at the knee?

The post shows Go and a decidedly unenthusiastic (to put it mildly) Duterte — nicknamed “Father Digong” by his legion of fans — sitting on stationary motorbikes, with the president on a red and black three-wheeler. The post has been shared almost 1,200 times.

We knew something was fishy when we first saw this post, so we reached out to Duterte’s spokesman Salvador Panelo’s official Facebook account to ask whether they had been photoshopped.

While the account never responded to our questions, our suspicions were confirmed when Go himself told GMA News that the photos have been edited for “security reasons.”

Uhh, OK, but what does chopping off Go’s leg have to do with “security”?

Sen. Bong Go tells @gmanews this photo of President Duterte riding a motorcycle inside PSG compound was edited for security reasons. | via @cedric_castillo pic.twitter.com/uA145ZIHfm — GMA News (@gmanews) October 25, 2019





Go’s suspicious post came after Duterte cut short a trip to Tokyo this week citing “unbearable pain” in his spine initially believed to have been cause by — ironically, given Go’s post — a recent motorcycle accident. Duterte’s representatives, however, later walked back that explanation, saying the pain was caused by a mere muscle spasm.

Doctors told the president to rest for at least two days, but that did not stop him from going to a politician’s wake (leaning on a cane), or from meeting a high-ranking Chinese official.

Naturally, Duterte’s supporters were awed by Go’s not-so-candid shots. On Facebook, several people referred to the pair as “Batman and Robin.” One fan even warned Duterte to be careful.

“You’re stubborn Father Digz. Please be careful you might get into an accident again,” said one Gracie Campos Ostos.

Photo: Bong Go More

While Ostos’ concern is no doubt much appreciated, by the looks of Go’s photos, Duterte has a better chance of losing his leg to an overzealous photo editor than falling off his ride.

What’s a good Duterte pose for Go’s next Facebook post? Horseback, maybe? (We know a guy who could give him some pointers.) Tell us by leaving a comment below or tweeting to @CoconutsManila.

This article, What ‘unbearable pain’? Allies circulate doctored shots of Duterte on motorcycle amid health concerns, originally appeared on Coconuts, Asia's leading alternative media company. Want more Coconuts? Sign up for our newsletters!