Sanction Roque for insensitive ‘pihikan’, Covid vaccine remark — lawmaker

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines —  House Minority Leader and Abang Lingkod party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano on Thursday urged Malacañang to censure Palace spokesman Harry Roque for his “insensitive and arrogant” remarks that Filipinos cannot choose their preferred Covid-19 vaccine brand.

 “The remarks of Roque reeks of insensitivity and arrogance,” Paduano said in a statement. 

 ”Sa panahong ito, ang pagiging arogante ng pananalita ni Sec. Roque ay hindi makatutulong bagkus magpapalala lamang ng sakit sa damdamin ng ating mamamayan,” he added. 

 (Sec. Roque’s arrogance does not help, but only worsens the anguish of the people.)

 “Resorting to ad hominems directed at our constituents clamoring for better public service may be considered a violation of our oath of office,” Paduano later warned, as he cited Section 4, paragraph C of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees of Republic Act 6713. 

That act states that “public officials and employees must act with justness and sincerity and shall not discriminate against anyone, especially the poor and the underprivileged”.

 “Gaano ba kahirap magpakita ng simpatya sa panahong ito? (How hard is it to show sympathy during these times?) The least we can expect from him is to show remorse, and yet, none is coming,” Paduano lamented. 

 (How is it hard to to show sympathy during these times? The least we can expect from him is to show remorse, and yet none is coming.) 

 During a Palace press briefing on Monday, Roque said that Filipinos can’t be “picky” when it comes to Covid-19 vaccines, citing the large quantity of Filipinos who need to be vaccinated against the viral illness.

 So far, the Philippines has secured 2.6 million doses of coronavirus vaccines from British drugmaker AstraZeneca and 30 million doses of Indian-made Covovax vaccine.

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