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LUSAIL CITY, Qatar — President Rodrigo Duterte nearly stumbled on Saturday as he tried to maintain his balance when some unidentified and overexcited Filipino worker accidentally pulled him as he was shaking hands inside the Lusail Sports Arena here.
The president’s guards, Cabinet secretaries, and even the Qatari royal guards rushed to Duterte’s aid.
Duterte just smiled and proceeded to his designated seat.
Duterte, the first Philippine president to visit Qatar since 2008, is hugely popular among the 222,721 overseas Filipino workers here. He got about 78 percent of the total votes cast here in the 2016 elections.
A Filipino worker here said they had long been waiting for Duterte’s visit.
At least 6,000 OFWs from all over Qatar trooped to the 15,000-capacity Lusail Sports Arena – about 45 minutes from Doha – and braved the scorching sun as early as 12 noon.
Dutere arrived a few minutes before 6 p.m. (11 p.m. PHT). /atm
Originally posted 00:13 am | April 16, 2017