Maliit na bagay? Duterte not belittling pandemic, meant it’s only ‘temporary’–Palace

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte was not belittling the pandemic, but assuring the public that the Covid-19 situation is only “temporary” and the Philippines will eventually overcome these hardships, Malacañang said Tuesday.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque made the clarification after the President drew flak regarding the Covid-19 pandemic as “maliit na bagay” (small thing).

“Ang sinasabi ng Presidente, temporary lang po ‘yan. Hindi po ‘yan forever. Lilipas din po ‘yan at pagdating po ng bakuna, magkakaroon nga po tayo ng solution sa ating problema, magkakaroon tayo ng new normal,” Roque said in an online briefing.

(The President was saying that this is only temporary. This is not forever. This will eventually pass and once the vaccines arrive, we will have a solution to our problem, we will have a new normal.)

“Hindi po minamaliit ng ating Presidente ang ating paghihirap. Ang sinasabi po niya, babangon naman po tayo dyan, we will heal as one,” he added.

(The President is not belittling our hardships. He’s only saying that we will overcome this and we will heal as one.)

While he is saddened over the effects of the pandemic, Roque said the Philippines continue to live through and was even spared from recording more deaths compared to the richer countries.

“Pero by and large po ang sinasabi ng Presidente ay compared to other countries lalong lalo na yung ating fatality rate ay nasa 2.05 percent po. We have been spared from even more deaths na naexperience ng mga mas mayayaman at mas developed na mga bansa na merong mas maraming pondo para sa healthcare,” Roque said.

(By and large, the President was saying that compared to other countries, our fatality rate is only at 2.05 percent. We have been spared from even more deaths experienced by richer and more developed countries that have more funds for healthcare.)

In his weekly address to the nation, Duterte said the Philippines will beat the Covid-19 pandemic as it is only a “small thing in our lives.”

Duterte issued the remark as the Philippines experiences another spike in new Covid-19 cases. On Monday alone, health officials recorded a record-high for 2021 of 5,404 new coronavirus cases.

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