Gov’t information drive on COVID-19 response still organized — Palace

Malacañang said on Friday the government’s information campaign on COVID-19 response remains “organized” despite the confusion brought about by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III’s claim that the Philippines was already experiencing a second wave of infections.

The Palace, other government officials and health experts had refuted Duque’s pronouncement during a Senate inquiry this week, prompting him to clarify on Thursday that the country is on the “first major wave of sustained community transmission.”

“Ang tingin ko naman po ay organized naman po. Kaya nga lang po, Senate hearing iyon siyempre medyo natataranta iyong ibang kasama natin, so medyo iba ang mga nasasabi,” Roque said in a radio interview.

“Pero by and large, until nangyari naman po itong insidenteng ito, tingin ko it has been centralized and it has been rather effective.”

Roque also underscored the importance of having a “centralized information dissemination.” The Palace earlier designated only Roque and Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire to speak for the government on COVID-19 matters.

“Ang aking mapapangako lang po ay talagang pinag-iingatan po natin ang mga impormasyon, binibigay po natin sa lalong mabilis na panahon pero not to the extent po inaccuracy,” he said.

“Magkakamali at magkakamali po tayo dahil tayo ay tao lamang pero gumagawa po tayo ng hakbang para maiwasan iyan.” — Virgil Lopez/RSJ, GMA News