Filipinos online went after Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque after he urged the public to use the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) that coincided with the Holy Week to reflect on their faith as he posed the question: "Bakit kaya pinayagan ng Panginoon itong pandemyang ito (Why did God allow this pandemic)?"
Roque made the statement after President Duterte placed the Greater Manila Area (GMA) under ECQ from March 29 to April 4 to address the skyrocketing number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases.
In his press briefing on Saturday evening, Roque acknowledged that life is really difficult but the Philippines is not lonely in this battle.
"Alam ninyo po talagang napakahirap ng buhay dito sa pandemya, at naiintindihan po natin iyan. Pero hindi naman po tayo nag-iisa (You know, life has been tough because of the pandemic and we understand that. But we are not alone)," he said.
"Hindi lang naman po Pilipinas ang may ganitong pahirap (It's not only the Philippines who's experiencing this kind of suffering)," he added.
According to Roque, since the ECQ period coincided with the Holy Week, the public should use the opportunity to rekindle their relationship with God.
"Sana po gamitin din natin itong pagkakataon na ito magdasal, magmuni-muni at pag-isipan kung ano talaga ang ating relasyon sa ating Maykapal (I hope that we will use this time to pray, reflect, and think about our relationship with God)," he said.
The Palace official added that God will not forsake the people as he echoed the question of why God let this pandemic happen.
"Ang tanong po ng marami: Bakit kaya pinayagan ng Panginoon itong pandemyang ito (A lot of people are asking: Why did God allow this pandemic)?" Roque said.
"Gamitin po natin itong ECQ at itong Semana Santa para bumalik tayo sa ating pananampalataya at tanggapin (We should use this ECQ and the Holy Week to return to our faith and accept) that ‘Thine will be done,'" he added.
"Mahal tayo ng Panginoon at may dahilan po itong lahat na ito (God loves us and all of these have a reason)," he continued.
Filipino netizens, however, were not happy with Roque's statement.
Manila Bulletin's tweet about Roque's quote got at least 2,500 angry replies and quoted tweets as of writing.
Twitter users agreed that Roque should not use their faith and God to mask the administration's "incompetence" in handling the pandemic.
"Tama, mahal tayo ng Panginoon, pero hindi mo kailangang gawing dahilan ang ECQ at Semana Santa para sabihing bumalik tayo sa pananampalataya. Dapat araw-araw yang ginagawa, ang manampalataya sa Panginoon. Palpak na pamamalakad ang totoong dahilan kung bakit balik ECQ na naman tayo (It is correct that God loves us but you shouldn't use ECQ and the Holy Week to tell us to return to our faith. Having faith in God should be done daily. A failed leadership is the real reason why we're back at ECQ)," a Twitter user said.
"Huwag niyong sisihin ang Diyos sa incompetence ng liderato niyo (Do not blame God for the incompetence of your administration)," another said.
"Why can’t you just admit that you’ve failed in managing this pandemic?" a Twitter user asked.
Another Filipino netizen, meanwhile, pointed out how President Duterte called God during the early years of his presidency.