A spokesman for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte defended the president in the face of criticism of his appearance during a meeting with the Russian prime minister, saying he "takes care of his cleanliness" and "his body smells refreshing."
The spokesman, Salvador Panillo, who is accompanying Duterte on his trip to Russia, challenged critics to approach him to smell.
"This is what women tell me when they accept the president that it smells good," he said.
Pavel Vondra, editor of CRO Plus radio on Thursday posted a photo of Duterte shaking hands with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and said he appeared in an untidy appearance.
Photos and recordings of the meeting show Duterte wearing an uncontrolled suit and a loose neck tie.
"Did he spend the night all the time drinking alcohol?" Vondra wrote in his Twitter post on Twitter. "Did he just leave the pub?"
But Panilo defended the president, saying he had broken the tie because he felt suffocated.
Duterte, 74, once said he had never had a suit before and did not wear socks.