Malacañang on Thursday refuted Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo’s claim that President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration lacked plans and didn’t have a direction in the country’s battle against the Covid-19 pandemic.
Robredo, in a Facebook Live address earlier this week, called out Duterte’s government for not having someone to “point us towards the proper direction, someone to steer the ship of state.”
Palace spokesman Harry Roque told Robredo to look at data.
“Unang-una po, I beg to disagree, seriously disagree with the vice president,” Roque said in Thursday’s Palace briefing.
“Tingnan po natin nang napakababang mortality na sinasabi ko na, tingnan po natin iyong mga karagdagang capacity na binuo natin para nga po mabigyan ng kinakaulang atensiyon iyong mga magkakasakit,” he added.
As of Aug. 26, the country has recorded 202,361 Covid-19 cases.
But Roque said the case tally did not reflect poor government response.
“Hindi po totoo na hindi sapat ang ating response. Siguro madali pong magpula dahil hindi tayo ang nasa gitna ng pandemya at hindi tayo ang inaasahang gumalaw. So napakadali talaga na ikaw ay magpula,” he added.
On Monday, Duterte called Robredo’s statements “baseless.”
“Sa panahon nitong pandemic medyo desperado ang mga tao tapos dagdagan ninyo ng mga ganoon na wala naman kayong base, sana may ipakita kayo…. Please do not add fuel to the fire,” he said. John Ezekiel J. Hirro