After receiving online flak for stating the country has been on "vacation" during the coronavirus pandemic, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque is setting the record straight about his controversial remark. Roque has clarified that his "vacation" comment actually meant the work disruption caused by the pandemic in the country.
The Palace official earlier defended President Duterte's decision to reclassify three public holidays -- All Souls' Day (Nov. 2), Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) and last day of the year (Dec. 31) -- as special working days, saying the country has been on "vacation" for a year and must recover "lost time."
The President's holiday revision was made supposedly to minimize spur livelihood and business activities as the country faced sluggish growth and unemployment during the pandemic. The President's revised list of holidays for 2021 however has triggered complaints from many sectors.
"Napakatagal na po natin nakabakasyon. Halos isang taon na tayong nagbakasyon dahil sa COVID-19. Siguro naman po ngayong nandito na ang bakuna, hayaan naman nating maka-recover tayo for lost time (We have been on vacation for too long. We have been on vacation for a year because of COVID-19. Maybe since we have the vaccines, let us try to recover for lost time),” Roque said during a televised press briefing Tuesday, March 2 when asked if the Palace will take back its latest proclamation.
Faced with mounting criticisms, Roque said the context of his "vacation" comment was related to the impact of the pandemic on people's livelihood. He said the economic team, which recommended turning the three dates into additional working days, merely wanted the economy to recover from the blow of the pandemic.
"Ang konteksto lang nito, talagang maraming tao ang hindi nakapaghanapbuhay dahil dito sa pandemiyang ito. Kaya nga ninanais ng economic team na makahabol naman tayo, at iyon po ang konteksto na aking sinabi (The context is many people really were not able to work due to the pandemic. The economic team wants us to recover, that's the context of my statement)," Roque said.
"Hindi naman po talaga bakasyon 'yan, kung hindi, hindi nakapagtatrabaho, kaya ngayon na pupuwede na po tayong makapagtrabaho sana dahil nagbubukas na tayo ng ekonomiya, hayaan naman nating kumita at makapagtrabaho ang ating mga kababayan (It's not really a vacation but rather the inability of people to earn a living during the pandemic. So now that we can resume livelihood because we're reopening the economy, let us allow our countrymen to earn and work)," he said.
With the reclassification of the three special working days, workers will not get extra compensation if they work during these days, according to the labor department.