Malacañang believes that the Philippines has actually improved in the way it handles the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the most important thing is the country is able to take care of the people who caught the disease.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque made the statement after the Philippines entered the Top 20 countries with the most number of COVID-19 cases based on data from the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center.
In an interview with CNN Philippines, Roque said the country has very few deaths compared to other countries.
"Look at the critical mortality rate. We're still at 1.75, which means, that although the numbers are up, we are able to take care of those who get severely and critically ill," he told "The Source" on Friday.
"That, I think, is what matters most because in a pandemic, the fear is that many of us will die. Some are dying, but not as many as other countries," he added.
According to the Palace official, this figure is a good sign that the Philippines is actually doing good.
"It's because we have improved our critical care facilities. We have learned from the past and we know how to take care of COVID-19 patients better," Roque said.
To date, the country has recorded 314,079 COVID-19 cases, 5,562 deaths, and 254,223 recoveries.
On Thursday, Roque said it is not impossible for the National Capital Region (NCR) to actually finally graduate to the more relaxed modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) next month due to the decline in the number of cases in the region.
He said Metro Manila's fate still depends on its citizens and reminded the people to continue following health protocols like the wearing of face masks and face shields, proper handwashing, and physical distancing.