Duterte admin thinking there’s no problem in Covid-19 response is the problem – VP spokesman

MANILA, Philippines — The Duterte administration’s denial of problems in its Covid-19 pandemic response could just be the “actual problem,” according to Atty. Barry Gutierrez, spokesperson of Vice President Leni Robredo.

Gutierrez said Malacañang’s refusal to acknowledge that the country is not faring well in its Covid-19 pandemic efforts is an issue of grave concern especially as various independent research organizations have already pointed out several problems in the administration’s Covid-19 initiatives.

“These are independent, objective assessments of our performance in managing the Covid-19 crisis, and should provide us with both means and motivation to identify gaps in our current policy and improve our overall response. But instead, this administration insists on burying its head in the sand and crying ‘politics’ every time assessments like these come out,” Gutierrez said.

“Kung sa kabila ng lahat ng ito, naniniwala pa rin ang administrasyon na walang problema, baka ‘yun mismo ang problema. Pakiusap lang namin, makinig naman sila. Hindi ito pulitika, buhay at kabuhayan ito ng ating mga kababayan,” he added.

(If despite all of these, the administration believes that there is no problem, maybe that is the actual problem. Please, we are just asking them to listen. This is not about politics, but more of Filipinos lives and livelihood.)

Gutierrez’s comments were in reaction to presidential spokesperson Harry Roque’s statement disregarding Robredo’s advice – that the government stops prioritizing propaganda over improving problematic issues in its Covid-19 response. Roque said the administration only listens to figures from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Robredo’s spokesman cited an independent report from the Australian initiative Lowy Institute, which showed the Philippines lagging behind in its Covid-19 response performance, ranking just 79th out of 98 countries observed. The study also showed that the Philippines is well below its Asean neighbors in the same category.

READ: PH ranks 79th in COVID-19 response among 98 countries — Aussie think tank

He also mentioned a study from an international economy paper that grouped the Philippines among countries that would only have widespread vaccination coverage by 2023.

These studies, plus official data showing that the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) for 2020 had its worst slump since the Second World War, have been enumerated by Robredo to push her call for a change in the administration’s Covid-19 pandemic response strategy.

In her radio program on Sunday, the Vice President said she hopes the government would spend more time assessing and addressing the problems pointed out rather than resorting to propaganda.

READ: Fix pandemic response instead of defending it — Robredo

Earlier on Monday, however, Roque said the WHO’s figures show a different picture of the country – ranking 32nd worldwide in terms of total Covid-19 case count, 45th for active cases, 134th for coronavirus cases per one million, and 72nd for case fatality rate.

“Ito ang katotohanan. Bakit namin paniniwalaan ang ibang pag-aaral, samantalang lahat tayo nagtitiwala sa WHO sa panahon ng pandemya. Hindi propaganda ‘yan, katotohanan. Buksan ang mata, buksan ang tenga,” Roque said.

(This is the truth.  Why would we believe other studies when all of us believe that WHO during the pandemic. That is not propaganda, that is the truth. Open your eyes and listen to it.)

Gutierrez, nonetheless, dismissed Roque’s reaction to Robredo’s call as typical of the administration.

“Sec Roque’s reaction is typical: walang problema, walang dapat ayusin, namumulitika lang lahat (there is no problem, nothing to fix, critics are just politicking). Hundreds of thousands have been infected, with thousands more getting sick every day, despite one of the longest lockdowns in the world. Millions have lost their jobs, and our economy has just experienced its worst shrinkage since World War II,” Gutierrez noted.

“Gusto naming magtagumpay kayo, para sa kabutihan nating lahat, pero paano mangyayari yan kung mananatili kayong bingi at bulag sa ating tunay na kalagayan?” he then asked.

(We want you to succeed for everyone’s sake, but how would that happen if you remain blind and deaf to the true state of the country?)

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