MANILA, Philippines — Experts from the University of the Philippines (UP) who gave the government’s response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) a “failing” grade are welcome to join the task force in charge of containing the pandemic, Malacañang said Thursday.
Among the UP experts and professors who reportedly criticized the government’s COVID-19 efforts was former UP Diliman chancellor Michael Tan who said he would grade the response with “F as in fail.”
“Siguro po, tinatanggap natin lahat ng reaksyon lalo na ng aking mga kaeskwela dyan sa UP,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in an online briefing.
(Perhaps, we will just accept the reaction of my schoolmates in UP.)
“Siguro po, iimbitahin ko na lang itong tatlong nagsalita para tumulong po sa IATF [Inter-agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases] nang sa ganun, hindi na nila masabi na failure tayo.”
(Maybe we will just invite those three to help the IATF so that they will not say that we’re a failure anymore.)
“You’re all welcome to join po sa pool of experts ng IATF and I will personally make sure that letters of invitation are sent to the three colleagues of mine from UP,” he added.
Roque was referring to Tan, Dr. Joshua San Pedro, and Dr. Edelina dela Paz.
With the spike of new COVID-19 infections being recorded, co-founder of Coalition for People’s Right to Health Dr. San Pedro said the country needed improvement in addressing the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Health Alliance for Democracy (HEAD) chair Dr. Dela Paz said the Department of Health was “reactive” in its response to the health crisis.
The Philippines has so far recorded 72,269 COVID-19 infections with 1,843 deaths and 23,623 recoveries.