Malacañang is taking exception to attempts to compare the coronavirus situation in Davao City and Quezon City amid the reported surge in cases of infections in President Duterte's hometown.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said it was unfair to compare Davao City and Quezon City since the situations of the two places were different.
"I don't think it’s a fair comparison," Roque said during a televised press briefing Tuesday, June 8.
He pointed out that Quezon City, located in Metro Manila, was previously placed under strict lockdown for two months. The long lockdown in Metro Manila paved the way for the drop in cases of infections in Quezon City, he added.
Davao City, on the other hand, was previously under more relaxed general community community. The city also provided health care to coronavirus patients from nearby areas in the region, according to Roque.
"Sabihin na lang po natin siguro na hindi tayo puwedeng magkumpara na apple to apple dahil iba iyong sitwasyon sa Davao. Kaya po siguro bumaba ang kaso sa Quezon City dahil nag-ECQ (enhanced community quarantine) nga at nag-MECQ (modified enhanced community quarantine) na hindi naman po nangyari sa Davao (Let's say that maybe we cannot compare apple to apple because the situation in Davao is different. Maybe the cases in Quezon City dropped because it was placed under ECQ and MECQ which did not happen in Davao)," Roque said.
"Ang Davao po is actually kumbaga the place where many people from the Davao Region seek medical assistance," he said, adding that the Davao's COVID tally most probably included those cases from neighboring areas.
OCTA Research fellow Dr. Guido David earlier disclosed that Davao City has overtaken Quezon City to become the city with the highest average number of COVID cases per day. Davao City has recorded an average of 213 cases per day while Quezon City's average daily case reached 207.
READ: Davao City overtakes Quezon City with highest number of new COVID-19 cases — OCTA Research
Davao City shifted to the stricter MECQ from June 5 to June 20 due to the reported rise in coronavirus cases. The city has recorded a total of 19,176 cases of coronavirus. As of June 7, the active cases reached 1,758 while the deaths numbered 642.
Quezon City, on the other hand, stayed under general community quarantine with restrictions such as prohibitions to mass gatherings. Its total cases reached 103,685, including 2,174 active cases and 1,453 deaths.