Duterte removes face mask during meeting: Hindi ako makapagsalita

During a meeting with several Cabinet members on measures regarding the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday apologized after removing his face mask and joked that he would not be arrested.

“Pardon me if I remove my mask. I cannot pronounce the words properly. This thing is bothering me. Pasensiya na kayo,” Duterte said in a live briefing.

“Hindi naman siguro, wala namang hulihan dito. Well, no one is above the law. When it says that you are violating a certain regulation. Ang problema hindi ako makapagsalita. I seem to stammer ang bunganga ko,” he added.

The President in July called on the police to arrest and subsequently detain

Meanwhile, the Philippines has reported a total of 469,005 COVID-19 cases with 431,055 recoveries and 9,067 fatalities.

The meeting Duterte convened on Saturday with Cabinet members and infectious disease experts was held to discuss the new strain of the novel coronavirus found in the United Kingdom.

During the meeting, Duterte approved the extension of the travel ban for all flights from the UK, including those that transited from the UK, for another two weeks to end in mid-January 2021. —KG, GMA News