Lawyer Larry Gadon. FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Lawyer Lorenzo “Larry” Gadon on Thursday slammed the Department of Health (DOH) for instilling fear to the public about COVID-19, as he claimed the disease was “curable.”
“Para sa akin, kalabisan na sa akin eh, either naka-face shield ka o naka-face mask ka, hindi ako naniniwala sa DOH,” Gadon told reporters outside the Supreme Court. He was interviewed holding his facemask.
(For me, it’s too much already. Either wear a face mask or wear a face shield, that’s why I don’t believe the DOH.)
Gadon was at the Supreme Court as he filed a Petition for Declaration of Nullity of Republic Act 6639, which renamed Manila International Airport to the current Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
“Sa totoo lang, ang COVID [ay] curable. Sobrang pananakot sa atin ang ginawa ng DOH, tumigil ang ekonomiya natin sa sobrang pananakot nila,” he said.
(The truth is, COVID is curable. The DOH scared us. Our economy stopped because of their scare tactic.)
“Nagagamot ang COVID if at the onset, gamutin mo lang agad ng mga gamot na kagaya ng LianHua,” he added, referring to the Chinese medicine Lianhua Qingwen.
While Lianhua Qingwen is used to treat COVID-19 in China, the Food and Drug Administration clarified that it was only approved in the Philippines to be used as a traditional medicine and prescription drug.
The lawyer also disputed that the DOH should fix the widespread corruption issues surrounding the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).
“Dapat ang DOH, ayusin nila ang problema sa PhilHealth. Di nila pupwedeng sabihin na wala silang kinalaman dyan.”
(The DOH should fix the problems inside PhilHealth, they can’t just say they have no involvement in that.)
Gadon previously became a trending topic on social media as he was spotted not properly wearing his face mask in public, as he simply taped his mask on his face shield.
In defense of his action, Gadon said that he does not believe wearing face masks can prevent the spread of COVID-19.
But the DOH slammed the lawyer for his action, as his “misinformation” regarding the wearing of face masks, and that the issue was “not a joking matter.”