Opposition resorting to politicking over COVID-19 issue – Palace

July 22, 2020

Malacañang said on Wednesday that the opposition has been resorting to "politicking."

This was after opposition Senator Franklin Drilon claimed that the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has failed in addressing the coronavirus disease pandemic.

"I don't think we failed. For as long as we did not meet the 3.5 (million) projection of UP (University of the Philippines) - and UP has been very good at their forecast - I think we would have succeeded," said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque in an interview by CNN Philippines.

"We will always have different points of view, particularly those coming from the opposition, and I think they're resorting to politicking stories," he added.

Roque reiterated President Rodrigo Duterte's appeal to all, including the opposition, to set aside politics in this time of pandemic.

"The appeal of the President is to concentrate on the COVID-19, set aside politicking for time being which I think is a very wise policy," he said.

Roque said that mortality rate is low, the critical care capacity "is still good and the fact that most of cases are asymptomatic and mild."

"So when you say that we have failed, it’s the fact that we have not reined the dead and people are dying en masse. And I think right now, hospitals have gained competence in dealing with COVID patients, and this is the reason why we have minimized death rates. And for as long as we’re minimizing death rates, I think we have succeeded," he said.

Drilon cited the increasing number of COVID-19 cases as proof of government's alleged failure in handling the health crisis.

As of July 21, there were 70,764 COVID-19 cases in the country, with 45,646 active cases, 23,281 recoveries, and 1,837 deaths. Celerina Monte/DMS