Senator Manny Pacquiao lamented the ongoing COVID-19 response of the government saying that it’s totally “mismanaged”.
“Sa tingin ko hindi naman naresolba ang pandemya mas lalo pang lumala. Pataas nang pataas ang mga cases ng infected [ng] COVID. Talagang mismanaged, I’m sorry to say this but iyan ang nararamdaman ko,” Pacquiao said in a Teleradyo interview Monday.
His remarks came following the leaked video of presidential spokesperson Harry Roque berating a group of doctors for “not saying anything good about the government response”.
The senator said the administration should find ways to ramp up its mass vaccination program to set a strong fightback against the pandemic.
“Dapat mag-focus tayo sa massive vaccination dahil yan po ang nakikita ko sa ibang bansa bakit sila nakakapagbalik to normal na ang pamumuhay nila dahil yung focus nila is to vaccinate the people,” he said.
Meanwhile, health workers said that they would not be intimidated by Roque’s statements against them.
“Hindi ho kami magpapa-intimidate kay Sec. Roque. Gawin namin ang kailangan gawin. Tuloy ho ang pagtulong namin sa bayan,” Dr. Antonio Dans, convener of Healthcare Professionals Alliance Against COVID-19 told the media.
To recall, Roque berated PCP president Dr. Maricar Limpin during a Zoom meeting of the COVID-19 national task force.
In a leaked video that Inquirer got hold of last week, Roque shouted: “Do not sit there as if you’re the only ones right. We’re trying to achieve total health. Who wants COVID to kill people?”
“Are you saying that only medical frontliners are concerned about the health of the people? We all want to save lives. For crying out loud, no one in the government wants a single life lost. No one,” he added.
RELATED NEWS:
‘How dare you?’ Leaked video shows Roque scolding doctors in IATF meeting
PH doctors reject Roque’s apology as ‘insincere’
