Malacañang remained optimistic that things will improve for the Philippines despite the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque made the statement after the international monthly magazine Global Finance reported that the Philippines landed at the bottom of a list of 134 safest countries in the world.
In his statement, Roque said the government was confident that things were looking up for the country, especially in its fight against the pandemic.
"We are therefore optimistic that things would be better with more and more people get vaccinated, coupled with our strict implementation of Prevention-Detection-Isolation-Treatment-and Reintegration (PDITR) Strategy," he said.
Roque also cited a December 2020 Pulse Asia survey showing 86 percent of Filipinos satisfied with how the Duterte Administration handled the COVID-19 pandemic
He added that the country was also on track in achieving its target of population protection in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces by November this year as long as the supply of vaccines remains stable.
As of July 7, 2021, there are 12, 489, 777 total doses administered, based on data from the National COVID-19 Vaccination Operations Center.
The country's COVID-19 mortality rate remains one of the lowest at 1.76%, as of July 8, 2021.
Just one of the many
However, Roque said the opinion of Global Finance Magazine was just one of the many varied points of view. The magazine cited war and peace, personal security, natural disaster risk factors, and COVID-19 risk factors in the safety scores of countries.
"While it is given that the Philippines is prone to natural hazards owing to its geographical location in the Pacific rim as well as due to climate change, our disaster management system continues to improve," he said.
"The Filipino people are also growing more resilient and adaptive," he added.
The Palace official explained that the country was not at war and that there was a significant decline in crimes since the Philippines went into strict lockdown in March 2020.