MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday urged the public not to believe criticisms thrown by the so-called “dilawan” or “yellows” at his administration as it grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I hope you don’t believe in the yelllows, the opposition that strikes here, strikes there and says a lot of things,” Duterte said, speaking partly in Filipino in a taped address.
[Original statement: Huwag po sana kayong maniwala dyan sa mga dilawan, opposition na hampas dito, hampas doon, kung ano pinagsasabi.”
“For as long as the virus lives on this planet, we are put in real danger. So don’t believe then. If you believe them, you will get to be despondent, or well… put to more stress,” he added.
Duterte said he and the Cabinet members did not enter the government to lie.
“Why would we lie? That’s not our job. We didn’t get into this job just so we could lie. Listen to reasons,” he said.
The Duterte administration has been criticized for its supposed lapses in responding to the health crisis.
But Malacañang has maintained that the government has been addressing the pandemic efficiently through its coordination with local government units and the private sector.
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