Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque took exception to criticisms that the Greater Manila Area was placed under the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) because of the government’s alleged incompetence in handling the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Roque made the statement as Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal entered its first day of the weeklong ECQ period on Monday, March 29.

In an interview with ANC, Roque insisted that the Philippines seemingly going back to square one was not because of the government but because of the virus's ability to mutate.

"It’s because the virus mutated: there’s now the UK, South African, Brazilian, and even the Philippine variant," he said over "Headstart" Monday.

"Unfortunately, all these variants made the disease more infectious and more transmissible," he added.

Roque said there was really nothing anybody can do with that fact.

"No one could have done anything about it because it’s in the nature of viruses to mutate," he said.

"What we need to do now is to adapt to these new variants. If they are more transmissible, then we will be more vigilant," he added.

Meanwhile, Roque encouraged the public to continue following minimum health protocols — the wearing of face masks and face shields, proper handwashing, and physical distancing.

The Greater Manila Area will be under the ECQ until April 4 wherein only essential stores can operate and the movement of people is limited.

The Philippines has been experiencing a high number of COVID-19 cases since mid-March. On Sunday, the country registered 9,475 new cases, bringing the total number of infections to 721,892.

On March 15, Roque was quick to deny that the Duterte administration failed in addressing the pandemic, blaming the fast-rising number of cases on the nature of viruses to mutate. He said the government was actually doing a good job until the surge of cases happened.