Duterte not downplaying suffering of Pinoys due to Covid-19

MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte is not downplaying the suffering of Filipinos as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, Malacañang said Tuesday.

In a virtual presser, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque made this clarification after a lawmaker criticized the President for seemingly undermining the challenges posed by the health crisis.

Duterte, in a pre-recorded speech aired Monday night, said: ”I will just say to my countrymen that do not despair. Kaya natin ito Covid na ito. Maliit na bagay ito sa buhay natin. Marami tayong dinaanan mas ano, mas grabe, mas mahirap, mas magluluha kayo (We can beat Covid. This is a small thing in our lives. We’ve been through a lot worse, a lot more difficult, and made us cry more).”

Roque explained that Duterte was simply expressing confidence that Filipinos will be able to rise from the challenge of Covid-19, especially now that vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. announced that the bulk of Covid-19 vaccines are expected to arrive by April or May.

“Hindi po minamaliit ni Presidente ang ating paghihirap pero ang sinasabi po niya babangon naman po tayo diyan, we will heal as one at malapit na po yung panahon na ‘yun dahil inaatupag nga po ni Secretary Galvez ang pagdating ng mga bakuna (The President is not downplaying our suffering but he’s saying that we will be able to rise from this, we will heal as one and that time will come soon because Secretary Galvez is handling the arrival of more vaccines),” he said.

He noted that the President was trying to assure the public that the pandemic is “temporary” and will eventually be resolved.

“Ang sinasabi ni Presidente temporary lang po ‘yan. Hindi po yan forever. Lilipas din po ‘yan at pagdating po ng bakuna magkakaroon nga tayo ng solusyon sa ating problema, magkakaroon tayo ng new normal (The President is saying it’s only temporary. It is not forever. It will pass and when vaccines come, we will have a solution to our problem, we will have a new normal),” he added.

Roque said Duterte also meant to tell the public that the Philippines continues to respond to the pandemic better than wealthier nations.

“Ang sinasabi po ng Presidente patuloy naman pong ang Pilipinas ay nabubuhay sa kabila ng Covid-19. Siyempre po kinalulungkot natin yung mga nawalan ng trabaho, yung mga namatay. Pero by and large po, ang sinasabi ni Presidente, compared to other countries, lalong-lalo na yung ating fatality rate nasa 2.05 percent po. So we have been spared from even more deaths na na-experience ng mga mas mayayaman at mga mas developed na mga bansa na may mas maraming pondo para sa healthcare (The President is saying that the Philippines continues to live despite Covid-19. Of course, we are saddened that suffered from job losses and deaths. But by and large, the President is saying that compared to other countries, we have a low fatality rate at 2.05 percent. So, we have been spared from even more deaths compared to wealthier, more developed countries with more funds for healthcare),” he said.

In a statement, Assistant Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro slammed Duterte’s “maliit na bagay” remark on Covid-19, saying millions lost their jobs and thousands died due to the pandemic.

“Thousands lost their lives from Covid-19, millions more lost their jobs as unemployment reached 4 million. The youth’s right to accessible and quality education continues to suffer with the Department of Education’s failed blended learning program. The whole nation is suffering from the incompetent and militaristic policies of the Duterte administration that does little to nothing in addressing the pandemic,” Castro said.

Instead of declaring “empty words”, Castro said the Duterte administration must enhance mass testing, contract tracing, giving of aid, and provide an effective vaccine rollout for all Filipinos.

On Monday, health authorities recorded 5,404 new Covid-19 infections, bringing the total number of active cases to 53,479.

The country’s recoveries reached 560,577 after 71 people got well while eight new deaths brought the death toll up to 12,837.

Around 4 million Filipinos were left jobless in January this year with the unemployment rate hitting a 16-year high, according to preliminary results of the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) labor force survey.

The survey showed that the unemployment rate worsened to 8.7 percent from 5.3 percent a year ago.