Kiko: ‘Dolphin watching’ Roque should focus on gov’t response vs COVID

Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan. INQUIRER.net file photo / CATHY MIRANDA

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan on Monday shot back at Malacañang after the latter took a swipe at the opposition lawmaker for criticizing the administration’s response to the pandemic.

In a Palace briefing, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said he was not surprised with Pangilinan’s criticisms of the government’s COVID-19 response since the 2022 elections are coming up.

Roque also pointed to the Liberal Party for its “dismal performance” in “similar disasters.” Pangilinan sits as president of the Liberal Party, which is the ruling party during the Aquino administration.

When sought for comment, Pangilinan said the performance of the previous administration has nothing to do with the government’s COVID-19 response today.

“Tigilan na nila ang paninisi. Sa halip na mag-dolphin watching, problema ng palpak na performance nila at hindi performance ng nakaraang administrasyon ang pagtuunan nila ng pansin at tutukan nila,” the senator told INQUIRER.net in a message, recalling Roque’s highly-criticized trip to Ocean Adventure in Subic Bay amid quarantine restrictions.

(Stop blaming others. Instead of dolphin watching, they should concentrate on resolving their failure to address the problems and not the performance of the previous administration.)

“Walang kinalaman ang performance ng nakaraang administrasyon sa covid response,” Pangilinan added.

(The performance of the previous administration has nothing to do with the present response to COVID-19.)

If Roque is keen on looking at track records, Pangilinan said the Palace official should look at how the previous administration’s addressed issues concerning agriculture.

“Kung track record din lang ang hinahanap nya tingnan nya ang record natin sa pagpababa ng presyo ng bigas at pagsasaayos ng NFA (National Food Authority) rice supply at pagsugpo sa ‘cocolisap’ epidemic nung 2014,” said the lawmaker, who served as former President Benigno Aquino III’s adviser on food security and agricultural modernization.

(If he is looking for track record, he can check our record in reducing the prices of rice and how we organized the NFA rice supply and how we combat the cocolisap epidemic in 2014.

“[Six] to 12 months naayos ang problema [Problems had been resolved in six to 12 months],” he added.

From allegedly overpriced foreign COVID-19 tests to the credibility of the health chief to handle the crisis, Pangilinan has been vocal in calling out the government over its response to the pandemic.

Recently, Pangilinan questioned the designation of Cabinet officials as “big brothers” in charge of overseeing the pandemic response in different local government units (LGUs), calling the directive a form of “micromanagement.”

Pangilinan’s fellow opposition senators also raised concerns over the designation of the Cabinet officials. Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon earlier raised fears that the move could lead to the “overstepping” of LGUs’ local autonomy.

Meanwhile, Senator Risa Hontiveros even called for a Senate inquiry into the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases resolution that assigned Cabinet members to monitor the pandemic response of several LGUs.

To date, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Philippines reached 161,253, with 112,586 recoveries and 2,665 deaths.

JPV