Palace on Duterte’s advice to use gasoline as disinfectant: Joke only!

MANILA, Philippines — “Joke only!”

This was how Palace spokesperson Harry Roque explained on Thursday President Duterte’s recent “advice” to the public to use gasoline as a disinfectant to prevent contracting the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

“Kayo naman apat na taon na si Presidente, parang hindi niyo pa kilala si Presidente. Joke only! Bakit naman tayo maghuhugas ng gasolina,” Roque said in a televised press briefing Thursday.

In a speech aired Tuesday morning, Duterte said he would try his best to provide free face masks especially to those who cannot afford them.

READ: Duterte to borrow funds for COVID-19 vaccine; promises to provide free face masks too

He also claimed that face masks may be reused once disinfected using alcohol or even gasoline.

Although it did not categorically answer whether Duterte’s advice has a scientific basis, the Department of Health (DOH) noted that the President is referring to cloth masks when he asked the public to reuse masks after disinfection.

“Sa sinabi ni Presidente, he’s mentioning really ‘yung mga reusable na ginagamit natin katulad ng cloth mask,” DOH spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a recent an online briefing.

(Of what the President had said, he’s mentioning really is the reusable we are using like cloth mask.)

“Alam niyo naman kapag nagsasalita si Presidente baka mga jokes niya lang ‘yun especially for gasoline,” she added.

(You know how the President say things, maybe this is one of his jokes especially for gasoline.)

Roque echoed this but he pointed out that N95 masks and surgical masks have better chances of preventing the transmission of the coronavirus disease.

/MUF