Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said there will be "hell to pay" if people start dying from hunger due to prolonged coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown.
Locsin made the statement as he agreed with what White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said that people should "take" whatever vaccine is available.
In a tweet, Locsin said people should follow health protocols while waiting for a vaccine to become available.
"There you go, and keep up the masking, face shielding, showering daily/washing hands at every turn," Locsin said in response to a news report about Fauci's remarks.
"We have come this far, we can wait safely for the vaccines to finally arrive by doing exactly what we’ve been doing," he added.
Locsin, however, pointed out that while the lockdown has been effective in controlling the spread of COVID-19, it caused many people to lose their jobs and experience hunger.
" Only downside in lockdown is increasing jobless and hunger," he said.
He added that there will be a problem if the issue will not be addressed.
"When the first start to die of hunger—it happened in Negros in last years of martial law—there will be hell to pay," Locsin said.
"If you think security forces can keep hungry people in line, let alone let them take over, then you are taking drugs," he added.
A Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey last year showed that 7.6 million Filipinos experienced hunger during the pandemic.