Duterte to public amid COVID-19 pandemic: If you think I've fallen short, sorry

President Rodrigo Duterte said he is doing his best in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic in the country and apologized to those who think he has fallen short.

“Sabihin ko sa inyo, iyong oath of office ko, talagang tinupad ko. Kung sabihin ninyo [na] ako ang nagkulang, eh sorry. Ginawa ko ang lahat ko,” Duterte said in a taped address aired Wednesday morning.

“Kung ang lahat ko ay kulang pa, patawad po. 'Yun lang talaga ang kaya ko.”

(I fulfilled my oath of office. If you think I fell short, sorry. I did the best I could. If my best was not good enough, I apologize. It is the best I could do.)

Duterte then appealed to healthcare workers to have patience regarding the delayed releases of allowances due them amid the pandemic, saying their benefits will be granted as soon as the government secures money for it.

“Gusto ko ring ipaabot sa health workers na alam mo sa totoo lang, kung may pera lang talaga, hindi namin pigilan, ibigay namin lahat yan total anuhin namin ang pera sa kamay namin?” he said.

(I want to tell our health workers, if we have the money, we will release those benefits to you because otherwise, why would we keep the money?)

“Give us time to adjust the finances because we had to collate whatever was left or available under Bayanihan 1 and 2 [laws]. Kaunting pag-unawa po kasi kung meron talaga, bakit hindi namin ibigay (We ask for a little understanding because if we really have the money, why would we keep that money)?” Duterte added.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, who was present during Duterte’s speech, admitted that the government is still looking for funding for the meals, accommodation and transportation (MAT) allowances for healthcare workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The needed MAT allowance, the DBM and DOH are currently looking for funds for these benefits so we can grant them to health workers in both public and private hospitals,” Duque said.

Duque has said that from September 2020 to June this year, the government released P14.3 billion worth of benefits for health workers.

Since then, Duque said that the government has also released P311 million and P888 million for SRA of health workers.

The SRA was released after health workers protested and threatened to resign while the country is experiencing surge in COVID-19 cases.

Both Duterte and Duque, however, did not mention that at least P6.4 billion worth of unspent Bayanihan 2 law fund was reverted to the Bureau of Treasury after the law expired on June 30. --KBK, GMA News