OVP to Palace: Stop being deaf and blind to lives, jobs lost amid pandemic

The Duterte administration is being blind and deaf to the plight of the people amid lives and livelihood lost amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the camp of Vice President Leni Robredo said.

Ibarra Gutierrez, spokesperson for Robredo, was responding to presidential spokesperson Harry Roque’s comments that the Vice President was playing politics in urging the government to improve its COVID-19 response and that the World Health Organization data showing the Philippine caseload is at 32nd place in the world was the truth, not propaganda.

Gutierrez noted that the Australian Lowy Institute, which ranked the Philippines 79th out of 98 in terms of effective pandemic response, and the Economist Intelligence Unit, which estimated that the Philippines will be able to achieve vaccinations for 60% of Filipinos only by 2023, are independent, objective assessments of the Philippine government’s performance in managing the COVID-19 crisis that should motivate the government to address gaps.

“This administration insists on burying its head in the sand and crying 'politics' every time assessments like these come out. Secretary Roque's reaction is typical: walang problema, walang dapat ayusin, namumulitika lang lahat,” Gutierrez said in a statement.

“Hindi ito pulitika. Buhay at kabuhayan ito ng ating mga kababayan. Gusto naming magtagumpay kayo, para sa kabutihan nating lahat, pero paano mangyayari yan kung mananatili kayong bingi at bulag sa ating tunay na kalagayan? Pakiusap lang namin, makinig naman sila,” he added.

Gutierrez then argued that hundreds of thousands of Filipinos have been infected, with thousands more getting sick every day, despite the Philippines' implementing one of the longest lockdowns in the world.

“Millions have lost their jobs, and our economy has just experienced its worst shrinkage since World War II,” Gutierrez said.

The Philippine economy saw its worst full-year economic performance since the end of World War II at -9.5% in 2020 due to the impact of lockdowns and global uncertainties due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Kung sa kabila ng lahat ng ito, naniniwala pa rin ang administrasyon na walang problema, baka ‘yun mismo ang problema,” he added.

The Philippines has recorded 527,272 COVID-19 cases so far, including 10,807 deaths. — BM, GMA News