Duterte on COVID-19 pandemic: Buhay muna bago ang lahat

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday touted the government’s interventions to curb the spread of COVID-19.

In his fifth State of the Nation Address, Duterte said policies, which included lockdowns, prevented up to 3.5 million infections based on projections from experts.

“When the pandemic struck, I decided to prioritize life over other considerations,” he said.

“To me, even if the numbers were much lower, it would still be and would have been worth the sacrifice[s] we made. Buhay muna bago ang lahat.”

Duterte, however, acknowledged that there were initial difficulties in ramping up the country’s testing capacity.

“We now have 93 accredited testing laboratories nationwide and we are aiming to conduct 1.4 million tests by the end of July and ensure a quick turnaround time of 48 to 72 hours,” he added.

The President also said opening up the economy to its “pre-COVID-19 levels” was not yet an option amid the number of new infections nationwide.

Last May, the Philippines started a partial reopening of businesses to stimulate the economy.

The country has so far reported 82,040 cases with 26,446 recoveries and 1,945 fatalities, making it the country with the second-highest number of infections across Southeast Asia. — DVM, GMA News