Former speaker and incumbent Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez has denied he has already joined the political opposition as what was speculated when he criticized the way the government is addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.
(ROBINSON NIÑAL JR. / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Alvarez, who rarely appears in the House of Representatives, stressed that telling the truth about what ails the country is not synonymous with opposing the government.
He had earlier advised his constituents to choose “someone with brains” as the country’s next president.
“Let’s choose a President who can handle this COVID situation. One who has brains and not just one who shows courage. We need someone who has brains,” Alvarez said in mixed Bisaya and English over his radio program titled, “CPDA Aksyon Agad!” recently.
Alvarez, a friend and staunch ally of President Duterte, has since clarified that he didn’t insinuate that the President didn’t have the smarts needed for his post.
According to him, his comments should be taken positively as a way of addressing problems.
“Malinaw na iyan sabi ko hindi ako nag-criticize ng Pangulo. Ang kini-criticize ko, ito nga, the way things are being handled (What I said is clear, I am not criticizing the President. What I am criticizing is the way things are being handled),” the former speaker stated.
Alvarez said that it is wrong to claim success when the number of COVID-19 positive cases continues to rise.
“Let’s face the truth. That is not success, that is failure,” he said.