MANILA, Philippines — Interior Undersecretary Martin Diño said on Monday he was misquoted in media reports about his remark on conducting a shame campaign to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019.
“I wish to clarify that some of my statements in my interview of July 18 on Radyo 5 were misquoted and entirely taken out of context,” Diño said in a statement.
He explained his suggestion on the shame campaign was not for COVID-19 patients but against quarantine violators such as those who refuse to wear face masks and observe physical distancing and other health protocols against the coronavirus.
In the television interview on Friday, Diño said: “It may be right for us to have a shame campaign. This COVID is no longer a joke. Just imagine how many [cases] there are now.”
As Undersecretary for Barangay Affairs of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, he said he receives reports from barangay officials on the “hardheadedness” and lack of cooperation of some of their constituents defying community quarantine rules.
This apparent lack of discipline is one of the main reasons why the number of COVID-19 cases in the county continues to increase, according to the DILG official.
Diño explained that out of “utter disgust and exasperation” over this supposed behavior of some Filipinos, he told the program hosts that there should be a shame campaign against such individuals “for their (violators) audacity to disregard the threat of the disease and the preventive measures we have established.”
“My statement, however, was misquoted or twisted by some media outlets to appear that the shame campaign is against COVID-19 patients,” he said.
“Therefore, I would like to set the record straight that I will never personally champion a mentality of shaming COVID patients nor will the Department of the Interior and Local Government. We will always uphold the rights of patients, especially during a global pandemic,” he also said, adding he “sincerely regrets the confusion” brought by the issue. [ac]
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