Gov’t did not belittle COVID-19 threat, IATF insists

MANILA, Philippines — The Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases on Friday belied claims that government belittled the threat of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

“Wala po tayong ginawang pagmamaliit sa banta ng COVID-19. In fact, tayo po ang isa sa pinakaunang nagdeclare ng ECQ [enhanced community quarantine],” IATF spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said in an online press conference.

(We never belittled the threat of COVID-19. In fact, we were among the first ones to declare an ECQ.)

Nograles’ remark was in response to a statement issued by ACT Teachers Representative France Castro that it is not the quarantine violators’ fault why the country recorded many cases of the disease, but of the government’s fault for belittling its threat.

“Hindi mga Pinoy ang tunay na pasaway at tunay na dahilan ng mataas na COVID case rates at mababang safety ranking ng Pilipinas.  Kaya nakapasok ang COVID dahil minaliit ang banta ng COVID-19 at bine-baby ang Tsina,” Castro said Thursday in a statement.

(Filipinos are not stubborn and are not the reason why the Philippines has high COVID case rates and low safety ranking. The COVID was able to enter the country because its threat was belittled and China was babied.)

Castro was reacting to the claim of Malacañang, which earlier said that Filipinos should be ashamed for showing lack of discipline and for violating the guidelines of the Luzon-wide lockdown.

“Nauna yung public health emergency tapos nag community qurantine tapos ang enhanced community quarantine tapos nagdeclare tayo ng state of calamity. Wala po tayong pagkukulang in terms of our reaction,” Nograles said.

(The public health emergency was declared followed by the community quarantine than the enhanced community quarantine and then the state of calamity.)

Nograles earlier said the government is doing the “best practices” in curbing COVID-19 despite the Philippines having the highest number of cases in Southeast Asia.

The Philippines as of Thursday confirmed 5,660 cases of the respiratory disease with 362 fatalities and 435 recoveries.

EDV