MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo once again pressed government officials for coherence and coordination with regards to announcing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) policies to avoid public confusion.
Robredo issued the statement after President Rodrigo Duterte decided to retain the 1-meter physical distancing rule in public transportation, discarding the earlier decision of the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to implement shortened distancing protocols between passengers in public utility vehicles (PUVs).
“Ito naman iyong lagi nating sinasabi, ‘di ba. Iyong lagi nating sinasabi, bago sana gagawan ng public statement, nag-usap-usap muna sila,” Robredo said Sunday in her weekly radio show.
“Ito iyong pinaka-problema natin lagi, ‘di ba? Iyong pinaka-problema natin lagi, magdedeklara iyong isang ahensya, kokontrahin noong isa. Eh paminsan…nasusubo na eh, nasusubo na iyong ibang mga (tao),” she added.
Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade previously claimed that the IATF and the National Task Force against COVID-19 (NTF) approved the proposal to shorten physical distancing inside PUVs from 1-meter which is recommended by the World Health Organization to 0.75 meters.
However, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año later denied that the IATF had approved the recommendation.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, however, claimed that the body greenlighted the proposal during a recent meeting without any objection.
READ: Roque contradicts Año: IATF okayed reduced physical distancing in PUVs
The Vice President likewise mentioned how motorcycle riders earlier had to adjust to the protocols of installing a plastic protective barrier to allow pillion riding–a policy that was later recalled by the government.
“Maraming mga gastos na dapat hindi naman, pero napapagastos. Eh dati na ngang walang kita, napapagastos pa,” Robredo lamented.