Palace debunks Gadon’s personal opinion on face masks

Viral photo of Atty. Larry Gadon, pictured to be having his face mask “for show” with his face shield

MANILA – Malacañang on Monday insisted that face masks are effective in mitigating the risk of spreading coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) despite a lawyer’s opinion that they were only good for small and enclosed places.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque chided lawyer Larry Gadon after he was spotted not properly wearing his face mask in public, instead taping the mask on his face shield.

“Hindi naman po doktor kasi si Larry Gadon, iyan po ay pañero ko (Larry Gadon is not a doctor, he’s my pañero). So, let that be his personal opinion,” Roque said in a virtual Palace briefing.

Citing medical experts, Roque said face masks can reduce the risk of acquiring the disease by as much as 85 percent and even up to almost 90 percent with face shields.

He appealed to the public to continue wearing face masks and face shields especially outdoors.

“Sana po huwag na tayong maghintay na tayo pa ang maging susunod na biktima. Alam na po natin iyan sa buong mundo na epektibo po ang pagsusuot ng face mask, paghuhugas ng kamay at pagso-social distancing (I hope we won’t wait as next victim. We know that globally, the wearing of face masks, washing of hands, and social distancing is effective),” he said.

The use of face masks and face shields together is now mandatory, especially for commuters, to curb the spread of the Covid-19 in the country.

A memorandum issued by the Departments of Transportation (DOTr), Labor and Employment (DOLE) and Trade and Industry (DTI) follows the “no face shield, no ride” policy.

The Department of Health and the World Health Organization have recommended the use of face masks to reduce transmission of Covid-19 via respiratory droplets.

As of Monday, health authorities reported 3,314 new Covid-19 cases in the country as the national tally further climbed to 164,474.

Total recoveries are now at 112,759 with an additional 237 recoveries while the death toll has reached 2,681 with 18 new deaths.

In a statement, Gadon said face masks were only “for show” because stores do not allow the entry of persons without face masks.

Gadon claimed that “the government has overreacted to the Covid paranoia”.

He said face masks “does not help all the time”, stressing that he has not contracted the deadly disease despite visiting different hospitals with Covid-19 patients.