Gov't failed in pandemic response? Duterte says other countries under lockdown, too

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday played down criticisms against the government over its failure to respond to the coronavirus disease pandemic, saying other countries are also placed under lockdown.

"Bakit ganoon? Ang gobyerno ba natin nagkulang? Ang gobyerno ba natin walang ginawa? Alam mo sa totoo lang ang naka-lockdown ang countries of Ukraine, France, Germany, Poland, Italy," said Duterte after he announced more areas will be under stricter community quarantine.

(Did we not do anything? Is our government lacking? But you know what, there are several countries on lockdown)

"75 percent of Italy has entered a new lockdown in a bid to fight the rising rates of coronavirus. Hindi lang tayo," Duterte added.

The chief executive also feared that even other countries that started early vaccination experienced reinfection because of the new virus strains, which are more contagious.

"Nauna na nga sila sa vaccine and yet itong bagong strain, I am not a doctor or a medical practitioner pero may mga reinfection sila at may bagong strain at ito ang kinatatakutan ko," Duterte said.

(These countries already received  the vaccines but because of this strain... I am not a doctor or a medical practitioner but they have reinfection and new strains and this scares me)

Several critics were furious at the national government over the poor response on the COVID-19 pandemic. The Twitter hashtag #DutertePalpak is also a trending topic online amid the surge of coronavirus disease infections.

Even former Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral said the Philippines' situation worsened, saying the country is 10 steps back from square one in arresting the COVID-19 contagion. —LDF, GMA News