Duterte responds to criticism over lack of COVID-19 recovery plan

President Rodrigo Duterte responded to criticisms that his government failed to provide a detailed roadmap on how the Philippines will recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

At a briefing with Cabinet officials in Malacañang on Thursday, Duterte justified his decision not to give specific details about the roadmap in his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday.

“Sabihin ninyo wala kaming roadmap. Duterte where is your roadmap? Hindi nga kami maka-roadmap because we were talking about the budget,” Duterte said in his address aired on state-run PTV.

“I could not have uttered a single sentence about roadmap to recovery kasi ang una talaga diyan ang medicine.”

The President had met with the economic cluster on the proposed 2021 national budget prior to his address, according to Malacañang.

Duterte’s spokesperson Harry Roque earlier said the critics probably did not hear the proposed measures related to COVID-19 recovery efforts mentioned by the President in his SONA.

Roque said the President called for the passage of the proposed Corporate Recovery and the Tax Incentives for Enterprises and the Bayanihan to Recover As One Act, which aims to provide a stimulus package to offset the impact of the COVID-19 crisis.

The Palace official also said the government would ramp up testing, contact tracing and treatment of COVID-19 cases.

Some lawmakers and political analysts have said the SONA did not present a comprehensive plan for the country to combat COVID-19 and was marked by rants against opposition Senator Franklin Drilon, ABS-CBN, criminals and telecommunications companies. —KBK, GMA News