MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte was merely joking when he said face masks could be re-worn after being disinfected, Malacañang said on Thursday.
In a virtual presser aired on state-run PTV-4, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the public should get used to Duterte’s penchant for making jokes.
“Kayo naman, apat na taon na si Presidente, parang hindi niyo pa kilala si Presidente. Joke only. Bakit naman tayo maghuhugas ng gasoline (You should know the President by now, especially since he has been in office for four years. That’s just a joke. Why would you disinfect [a face mask] with gasoline)?” Roque said.
In a taped public address on Tuesday, Duterte said face masks could be reused after being sprayed with alcohol, disinfectant spray, gasoline, or diesel.
On Wednesday, the Department of Health also said Duterte’s remarks about disinfecting face masks may have been made in jest.
Roque said he would orient Duterte that surgical face masks, unlike cloth face masks, can only be worn once.
“Ngayong sinasabi na single use lang ang masks, ipaparating po natin kay Presidente iyan. Pero ‘yung cloth mask, pwede pong hugasan iyan (Now that they are saying single-use [surgical] face masks [should only be worn once], we will tell the President. But the cloth face mask is washable),” he said.
Prior to his remarks, Duterte expressed willingness to distribute free face masks to all Filipinos to protect them against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) that continues to grapple the country.
Duterte was serious when he said he wants to give free face masks to all Filipinos, Roque said.
“Pagdating po doon sa mask, ang sabi kasi niya, gusto niyang mamigay ng libreng mask. So kung hindi sa lahat ng Pilipino, sa maraming Pilipino, lalung-lalo na sa mahihirap (He said when it comes to face mask, he wants to give that for free. But if that cannot be distributed to all Filipinos that will be given to many Filipinos, especially the poor),” he said.
Ordinance vs. non-wearing of masks
Duterte, in his taped public address, also warned that quarantine protocol violators, including those who are not wearing face masks, will be arrested.
Roque reiterated that local government units (LGUs) would issue a “uniformed” ordinance that will set guidelines against people who will refuse to wear face masks.
He said the ordinance would contain a specific punishment that would be slapped against quarantine violators.
“Ang pagpapatupad ng non-wearing of masks, well, nakadepende po iyan doon sa umiiral na ordinansa kung saan po ma-apprehend ang isang tao (The policy against non-wearing of masks will depend on the ordinance [that will be issued by LGUs],” Roque said.
Funds to buy vaccine
The government has repeatedly advised the public to wear face masks at all times whenever they leave their homes to keep them free of Covid-19.
The advice was made since there is still no vaccine against coronavirus.
Roque reiterated that Duterte would look for funds to buy Covid-19 vaccines, once developed.
“Ang sabi ni Presidente, kahit magkano iyan, hahanapan niya ng pondo. Huwag na tayong mag-usap kung magkano iyan (The President said he will look for funds [for the procurement of vaccines, once developed]. He doesn’t mind how much would it cost),” he said.
Roque made the remarks as he looked forward to getting a support from China, the United States, and United Kingdom, once they become successful in developing a vaccine against Covid-19.
For now, Roque reminded the public to heed the protocols imposed by the government to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country.
He also cited the new resolution approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, which reiterates that mass gatherings are still prohibited in areas under general community quarantine (GCQ).
IATF-EID Resolution 57, which was made public on Thursday, states that mass gatherings include “movie screenings, concerts, sporting events, and other entertainment activities, community assemblies, and non-essential work gatherings.