Palace says Pangilinan’s swipes vs ‘big brothers’ are in aid of reelection

MANILA, Philippines — With the 2022 elections in sight, Malacañang is not surprised by the criticisms of opposition Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan on the government’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis.

“Alam niyo naman malapit na ang eleksyom, reelectionist ito si Senator Pangilinan. Hindi ako nagtataka sa mga maanghang na salita niya,” Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a televised Palace press briefing Monday.

(We all know that the election is nearing, and he is a reelectionist. It’s no surprise he’s dishing out harsh words.)

“Pero (But) if we will go with the track record of his own party in similar disasters, his own party had a dismal performance,” he added.

Roque issued the statement after Pangilinan, president of the former ruling Liberal Party, questioned the designation of Cabinet officials as “big brothers” in charge of overseeing the pandemic response in different local government units (LGUs), calling the directive a form of “micromanagement.”

Pangilinan’s colleagues in the opposition also raised concerns over the designation of the Cabinet officials with Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon warning that the move could lead to “overstepping” of LGUs’ local autonomy.

Senator Risa Hontiveros even called on a Senate inquiry on the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to the decision as she mentioned reports that cabinet members intervene at the barangay level.

“The IATF members, while arguably experts in their respective fields are not experts nor do they have any experience in health system performance, critical care capacity, and surveillance, isolation, and treatment protocols. Baka sila pa nga ang turuan ng mga mayor (They might find themselves being lectured by mayors),” Hontiveros said.

But Roque said the move shows that members of the IATF are “doing their best” and are not sleeping in the middle of the health crisis. [ac]