MANILA, Philippines — “He’s not a doctor. Let that be his personal opinion.”
Malacañang on Monday downplayed the controversial remarks of lawyer Larry Gadon against the use of face masks to his not being a doctor, even as it contradicted the government’s stance about the necessity of wearing face masks to containing the spread of coronavirus disease.
“Hindi naman po doktor kasi si Larry Gadon. ‘Yan po ay pañero ko so let that be his personal opinion,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in an online briefing.
(Larry Gadon is not a doctor. He is my fellow lawyer so let that be his personal opinion.)
Gadon became a viral topic on social media after he was spotted wearing a face mask which was taped on his face shield. He later on explained why he was skeptical about the effectiveness of face masks in preventing the spread of COVID-19.
“If mask is really effective, how come there are more than 100,000 people afflicted with COVID? And more than 2,000 dead victims?” Gadon said.
Gadon’s claims have already been debunked by the Department of Health, saying the “misinformation” being spread by the lawyer is “not a joking matter.”
But while not directly criticizing Gadon, Roque noted that doctors and experts have said that wearing face masks can reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19 to as much as 85 percent.
“Sasamahan pa ‘yan ng face shield, almost 90 plus percent po ang probability na mapo-protect tayo sa COVID,” Roque further said.
(If you wear a face shield, almost 90 plus percent is the probability that we will be protected from COVID.)
“Sana po ay ‘wag na tayo mag-antay na tayo pa ay magiging susunod na biktima. Alam na po natin ‘yan sa buong mundo na epektibo po ang pagsusot ng face mask, paghuhugas ng kamay, at social distancing,” he went on.
(Let’s not wait for ourselves to be the next victim. We know worldwide that wearing face masks is effective along with frequent handwashing and social distancing.)
The Department of Health and the World Health Organization have advised the wearing of face masks to prevent transmission of the novel coronavirus which happens through close contact with infected people via secretions such as saliva or their respiratory droplets.