President Rodrigo Duterte said that Filipinos should wait for the delivery of government aid rather than lining up outside of their homes for community pantries.
Duterte said in a speech that barangay health officials should be the one who will deliver government aid to prevent the spike of COVID-19 cases.
“Ang mga tao, matigas kasi ulo ninyo. Ayaw ninyong maniwala. Sinabi na ngang mabuti na nga mag-istambay ka na lang. Alam niyo, hindi ito biro, ‘pag tinamaan ka ng COVID, it’s death,” he said.
“Ngayong, kayong mga wala talagang makain… maghintay lang kayo and try to communicate with your barangay captain. Ako, nagsabi ako, magbalot kayo ng pagkain, ibibigay ninyo ‘yan sa mga tao. Sikreto,” he added.
Thousands have flocked to various community pantries as government aid during the implementation of strict quarantine protocols remains lacking.
Hinting on actress Angel Locsin’s controversial community pantry, Duterte said: “This is not meant as an insult. Hindi niyo kasi alam. Ngayon, kasi ginawa ninyo, hindi niyo talaga alam… The fact na ginawa ninyo, hindi ninyo alam ang consequences.”
The government has allotted P1,000 to P4,000 cash aid to poor Filipinos during the two-week enhanced community quarantine. Some groups lament that the aid is not enough.
