Gov’t ‘seems to be content‘ with COVID-19 response, says Robredo

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MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday dubbed as “bothersome” the seeming contentment of the national government over its response to the coronavirus pandemic.

During her weekly radio show, “BISErbisyong LENI,” Robredo specifically mentioned the reaction of presidential spokesperson Harry Roque who “strongly disagreed” with her public address where she criticized the administration for seemingly not having someone in charge of the government’s COVID-19 response.

Roque denied the claim that the government’s response to the pandemic was lacking.

But Robredo disagreed.

“What’s bothersome here, Ka Ely, for example, is the reaction of  Secretary Roque to our public address because it seems they’re content. You know, the government seems content with what it’s doing,” Robredo, speaking in Filipino, told her co-host Ely Saludar.

“That’s what’s bothersome: They get angry when told that their response is lacking. And when you tell them that the response is lacking, they’ll say that it seems they’re being maligned,” the Vice President added.

Robredo questioned the attitude in the face of the continuing rise of COVID-19 cases.

“For me, during a crisis like this, especially when the lives and the health of people are at stake, it’s better, Ka Ely, for our response to be quick. We should not be content with our response,” she said.

“When we become content, even if the numbers show that things are not all right, that’s what makes things difficult. We will not improve because we feel that we’re already very competent,” she added.

In July, Robredo sent Roque a list of suggestions on how to beef up the government’s response to the health crisis.

Roque said the Palace welcomed the recommendations but said they were nothing new and that all her proposals had long been implemented.

As of Aug. 30, there were 217,396 COVID-19 cases nationwide, of which 56,473 were considered active cases. Recoveries were at 157,403 while the death toll was at 3,520.

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