Año: No country can claim success in addressing COVID-19

MANILA, Philippines — No country has claimed success in addressing the coronavirus disease pandemic, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said Friday.

“No country could ever say they are successful. Look at Japan, look at Italy, even Vietnam, and Singapore, nag-i-ispike sila,” Año, vice-chair of the government’s task force against COVID-19, said in a press briefing at Camp Crame, Quezon City when asked his reaction on the Philippines having the most number of COVID-19 infections in Southeast Asia.

(No country could ever say they are successful. Look at Japan, look at Italy, even Vietnam and Singapore, they are recording a spike.)

After recording 119,460 total cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, the Philippines has the highest number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in Southeast Asia. The country topped Indonesia which announced a total count of 118,753 COVID-19 cases.

Año said the Philippines should not be compared to other countries.

The interior chief added that authorities will focus on studying the good practices of other countries and applying it to suppress the spread of the virus in the Philippines.

“Ang ginawa natin pinag-aaralan natin yung mga iba’t ibang magagandang practices sa ibang countries at ina-apply natin dito then, we focus on what we are doing is appropriate, proper and practical rather than everyday compare yourself. Mahihirapan ka lalo diyan,” Año said.

(What we are doing right now we are studying the good practices in other countries, and we are applying this then we focus on what we are doing is appropriate, proper and practical rather than everyday compare yourself. That will be harder.)

/MUF