Vice President Leni Robredo said Cebuanos are frustrated with the gaps in the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic during the quarantine period.
(OVP / Facebook / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Robredo noted the reports of her team on the ground as well as the complaints received by her office from Cebu City residents that stemmed from the apparent lack of a clear plan to fight COVID-19.
“Iyong level of frustration mataas. At least ito iyong (reports na) natatanggap namin (The level of frustrations is high. At least these are the reports we have received),” she said in a radio interview.
“Hindi naman ito actually reklamo sa mga ospital, pero reklamo sa nangyayari in general, na parang naghahanap sila ng mas defined na plano, saka mas defined na framework (This is not actually a complaint from hospitals, but it is a complaint for what’s happening in general, that they seem looking for a more defined plan and framework),” she said.
Robredo sent a team to Cebu City, which is the only area in the country under the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), to assess the current situation there and how her office can be of help to the government’s COVID-19 response.
As of now, Robredo’s team and its private partners have provided dormitories, free shuttle, and ferry service for frontliners. These dormitories are located in the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, and Talisay, where frontliners can be transported by a shuttle to their destinations.
The Vice President said the Cebuanos are also experiencing a high level of fear with the military presence and after being blamed over the soaring COVID-19 cases in Cebu City.
Robredo stressed the government’s approach toward the pandemic should be focused on having people understand the situation instead of sowing fear among the public.
“Kapag hindi alam ng tao kung bakit nangyayari ito, hindi alam ng tao kung ano ba iyong plano ng pamahalaan para masugpo iyong pagtaas ng kaso, hindi talaga siya kampante (If the people don’t know why this is happening, they don’t know the government’s plan to stop the rising cases, they are not at ease),” she said.