COVID-19, public order top priorities for Duterte

MANILA, Philippines — With barely two years left in his term, President Duterte has vowed to revive the economy ravaged by the coronavirus 2019 crisis and to maintain public order in a post-pandemic world.

“Ako, iba ang trabaho ko (My work is different). I protect the people. You might say you protect public interest. For what? For destroying the Filipino? Kalokohan (nonsense),” Duterte said in a taped address to the nation Wednesday night.

The 75-year-old leader urged the people to be more patient while the Philippines and the rest of the world are developing a cure and a vaccine for COVID-19.

“Maghintay lang kayo kay pabilis – pero nandiyan na ang bakuna kaya niluwagan ko na ang ano lahat (Just wait. A vaccine is just around the corner, so I ease things a bit),” he said.

He said drugs are available for treating symptoms of the diseases – referring to Remdesivir and Avigan.

While acknowledging the impact of COVID-19 on the country, Duterte said at the meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases that he has not lost focus on his campaign against criminality, particularly the illegal drug trade.

“Don’t be afraid of contracting COVID, but you drug addicts – you’ll get COVID,” he said.

National Task Force chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez, meanwhile, noted a decrease in the number of active COVID-19 cases, now at 46,000 as against the peak of 88,000 recorded on Aug. 15.

He said this has given the government the chance to shift to the reopening of the economy without having to lose focus on the health aspect. Galvez reported that active cases in Metro Manila used to average 20,000. The figure declined significantly to 7,830 active cases as of yesterday morning.

“Meaning, from more or less 26 percent active cases, active cases now represent six percent of the total. And we can see negative growth all over Metro Manila,” he said.

Metro Manila mayors in 12 cities have also reported more than 90 percent recoveries.

Galvez reiterated the need to observe health standards, including appropriate distancing, no talking, no eating and no use of mobile phones in public transportation.

“As we move forward to Phase 3, we need to implement the following actions: I-implement re-vibrated Prevent, Detect, Isolate, Treat and Recovery and going to the new normal. This is Phase 3, our transition plan for a new normal,” Galvez said.

Meanwhile, presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr., citing a World Health Organization study, said governments should not rely on lockdowns alone to address the pandemic. Lockdowns can only be used to beef up resources, reorganize, regroup and rebalance priorities, the Palace official said, quoting WHO’s Dr. David Nabarro.

But he said the government would still have to assess if there is a need to adjust the capital region’s quarantine status.

Citing data from the Department of Health, Roque said COVID cases in Metro Manila have gone down by 31 percent in the last two weeks.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), however, said it’s still the IATF which should recommend any adjustment in the quarantine status of Metro Manila.

“We leave it to the wisdom of the IATF. They decide on that,” MMDA general manager Jose Arturo Garcia told The STAR. The IATF approved a general community quarantine (GCQ) status for Metro Manila until the end of October upon the recommendation of the Metro Manila Council, the MMDA’s policymaking body composed of mayors of NCR’s 16 cities and lone municipality. — Ghio Ong