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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Filipinos are not 'pasaway,' should not be blamed for spike in COVID cases -- VP

Filipinos are not 'pasaway,' should not be blamed for spike in COVID cases -- VP

Published Jul 7, 2020 12:44 pm

The public should not be blamed for the rising coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection in the country, Vice President Leni Robredo said on Tuesday.

Vice President Leni Robredo
(Photo by Charlie Villegas / OVP / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)

Robredo also disputed the remarks of government officials that Filipinos, especially Cebuanos, are “stubborn” for defying health protocols.

President Duterte previously referred to Cebuanos as “hard-headed” for spreading the virus in Cebu City, the new hot spot of COVID-19 cases.

”Mali iyon kasi kapag sinisi mo sa tao, self-defeating na agad. Parang ang presumption agad masama iyong tao (That is wrong because if you blame the people, it’s already self-defeating. The presumption is the people are bad),” Robredo said in an interview with Teleradyo Cebu.

“Kapag ang presumption mo 'yung tao dapat arugain, mas understanding, mas humane 'yung pag-implement mo ng mga policies (If your presumption is that people should be taken care of, you’ll be more understanding, your implementation of the policies will be more humane),” she said.

The vice president reminded government officials that the primary purpose of enforcing quarantine is to ensure public safety and not to treat people as a problem.

“Kapag sinabi natin na 'yung tao ang problema, parang baliktad ito sa dapat nating ginagawa. 'Yung tao ang dapat proteksyunan, bakit sila 'yung salarin? (If we say the people are the problem, it’s the opposite of what we should be doing. The people must be protected. Why are they the ones at fault?),” she asked.

Cebu City is only the area in the country under the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), the most restrictive lockdown imposed by the government, until July 15 due to soaring COVID-19 cases.

Last weekend, Cebu City already breached the 6,000 mark in the number of coronavirus infections, the highest in the country.

The government's response was to bring in Environment Secretary Secretary Roy Cimatu, a former military man, and increase military presence in the area.

Robredo said the administration should take a more public health approach in dealing with the COVID-19 situation in Cebu City.

She said people will likely cooperate if they understand the enforcement of quarantine policies instead of sowing fear among them.

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