Roque tells Duterte’s critics to ‘drop dead’

MANILA, Philippines — A program celebrating the arrival of a tunnel boring machine for the country’s first subway system unexpectedly turned into a venue for presidential spokesperson Harry Roque to gloat over the project, lashing back at President Duterte’s critics and telling all of them to “drop dead” (manigas kayong lahat).

Roque was one of the top officials who spoke on Friday at the unveiling of the machine’s massive cutterhead at the Manila Harbour Centre. The 74-ton equipment was the first to be shipped to the country out of the six tunneling machines from Japan that will be used for the P393-billion, 36-kilometer Metro Manila Subway project.

“Let today’s event be recorded in the annals of Philippine history as another first of the Duterte administration,” he said. “And to his critics I have only this to say: Manigas kayong lahat.”

CUTTING REMARKS A cutterhead of the first of six tunnel boring machines to be used for the P393-billion Metro Manila Subway Project is parked at the Manila Harbour Centre, where presidential spokesperson Harry Roque took the occasion on Friday to celebrate the “renaissance of infrastructure” under the Duterte administration and lash out at the President’s critics. —RICHARD A. REYES

‘Renaissance’

Amid the criticism heaped on the President, particularly on the government’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis, he said, the “renaissance of Philippine infrastructure” on his watch continues with the arrival of the tunnel boring machine.

Sometimes drawing brickbats himself over his controversial remarks in defense of the President, Roque had repeatedly lambasted the political opposition for portraying the country as a laggard in the global pandemic response. At a recent briefing, he dismissed such criticism as “a fantasy of those who want to return to power.”

The Palace mouthpiece harped on the same string on Friday: “They will not stop until they regain power. But presidents will come and go, but in the annals of Philippine history, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte will be remembered for the renaissance of infrastructure, for beating COVID-19, and of course for all the social legislation that he so shepherded including universal health care and free tuition in state colleges and universities.”

Also during the program, Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade of the described the 17-station subway line as one his agency’s responses to the “clarion call of the President to make Filipino lives comfortable.”

Jica loan

Approved by the National Economic and Development Authority in September 2017, the first phase of the project is being jump-started by a P51-billion loan agreement with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) that was signed in March 2018.

For its first phase, which the Department of Transportation hopes to be partially operational by December this year, the underground railway will have 17 stations and run beneath the cities of Valenzuela, Taguig, Parañaque and Pasay.

Future expansion is planned across the northern and southern areas outside Metro Manila, from San Jose del Monte in Bulacan to Dasmariñas in Cavite.