No gov’t neglect in COVID-19 response in Mindanao, Palace says

The Palace on Tuesday denied the accusations of Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez that the national government has neglected Mindanao amid the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the surge in COVID-19 cases there is not due to lack of government response.

"Hindi po totoo 'yan. Hindi po kasi nag MECQ at ECQ roon, at bumaba talaga ang compliance sa minimum public health standards," presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said.

(That is not true. They have not been under modified enhanced community quarantine and enhanced community quarantine, and the compliance in minimum public health standards really decreased.)

ECQ protocol only allows essential trips and services/businesses to operate, while MECQ allows essential trips but only allows decimated operations of non-essential services and businesses.

Likewise, Roque also said there has been equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines across the country.

"We have been focused on NCR Plus where most cases are, but they only account for 38% of the vaccines. The remaining balance are distributed elsewhere," Roque added.

Earlier, experts from the OCTA Research have identified some cities in Mindanao as areas of concern due to the continued spread of COVID-19 namely Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, Koronadal, Cotabato and Davao City.

On Monday, Rodriguez, who is from Cagayan de Oro City, denounced the supposed neglect of the national government to the COVID-19 situation in Mindanao.

During a briefing of the House Committee on Mindanao Affairs, a furious Rodriguez specifically slammed vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. for his supposed lack of concern and priority in addressing the increasing COVID-19 cases in the region.

Rodriguez mentioned that a lot of his constituents have already died due to COVID-19. He said he wrote a letter to Galvez twice in May seeking additional vaccine supply for Cagayan De Oro City but, according to him, Galvez did not respond.

"People died because of the inactivity of the vaccine czar. Let me state that on record! I really feel bad about this. First, no answer to my letter. Secondly, people are dying because they're giving a lot of vaccines for Metro Manila which are now lowered already in terms of COVID-19 incidents," Rodriguez said. 

Galvez was not present during the hearing. He was represented by Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) Undersecretary Isidro Purisima, who extended his apologies to Rodriguez and he promised that more vaccine doses will arrive in the coming weeks. — Llanesca T. Panti/RSJ, GMA News