By Argyll Geducos Malacañang assured the public that the government is doing everything it can to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country as the number of confirmed cases surpassed the 1,000-mark. Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo
(OPS / MANILA BULLETIN) Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo made the statement after the Department of Health (DOH) reported Saturday that the number of COVID-19 cases in the country reached 1,075. In a statement, Panelo assured the public that the government was doing its best to arrest the spread of the pandemic. "Our citizenry is assured that the government is doing everything to contain, if not permanently halt, the spread of COVID-19 in the country," he said Sunday. According to Panelo, the country is starting to address the inadequate supply of personal protective equipment (PPEs) through donations and added that the local production of PPEs was already in full swing. He added that medical supplies, alcohol, soap, and other health items have also started to come in from various donors, individuals, and privates entities. "The bayanihan (collective cooperation) spirit has caught fire and everyone is chipping in a united front against this unseen deadly enemy," he said. Quarantine Panelo, meanwhile, rejected the opinion of some quarters that the rise of COVID-19 cases showed that the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon was ineffective in flattening the curve. "We beg to disagree. As we have previously stated, the reason for a few reported cases of confirmed cases two weeks ago was because there was a lack of testing kits to ascertain the number of those afflicted with the disease," he said. According to Panelo, it was normal for the number of COVID-19 cases in the country to balloon as the manufacture and supply of testing kits increases. He added that the surge was due to the establishment of additional COVID-19 testing centers which allowed more people to be tested. "Necessarily the hitherto unknown cases of COVID-19 have surfaced hence the galloping increase in number," Panelo said. The Palace official, moreover, said the number of cases would have been more than its present count if the government did not impose a partial lockdown in Luzon. "With unrestricted movement of the population, with each individual being a potential carrier, the coronavirus would have an untrammeled leap-frogging from one person to another," Panelo said. Stay at home Panelo, meanwhile, reminded the public to stay at home and to continue strictly observing the protocols on hygiene and social distancing. "In that way we prevent the virus from spreading and therefore protecting ourselves, our family members, our neighbors, our friends, and our country in the process," he said.