'God is merciful to those who obey gov't health protocols,' Duterte tells Pinoys


Event though the Philippines continues to see a decline in the number of new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases every day, President Duterte on Tuesday, Nov. 23, asked Filipinos to continue observing health protocols, lest they want to be denied God’s mercy and compassion.

President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his regular public address on Nov. 23, 2021. (RTVM Screenshot)

“Ang awa ng Diyos, kailangan sabayan mo ng pagsunod ng implementasyon sa protocols ng gobyerno (God’s mercy should be coupled with obeying the protocols of the government),” he said during his late night “Talk to the People” address.

“Kasi ang Diyos tinitingnan niya kung walang pagsunod ng protocols sa gobyerno, alisin niya 'yung awa at maging kawawa tayo (Because God will see if there is no observance of government protocols, he will not give us his mercy and we will be pitiful),” Duterte added.

His warning notwithstanding, the Chief Executive gladly informed the public that “We are slowly but surely making progress in our COVID-19 campaign.”

“I am very pleased to inform the entire nation that we continue to beat COVID-19. Recent statistics affirm this,” Duterte said.

On Tuesday, the Philippines logged 1,153 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of cases in the country past the 2.8 million mark.

READ: PH records 1153 more COVID-19 infections

“The positivity rate went down from 3.4 percent on Nov. 18 to 2.3 percent today,” the President noted.

Even Metro Manila’s positivity rate went down to 2 percent from Nov. 11 to 17.

The Health department has reported the continuous decline in the number of active cases in the country from over 23,000 last Nov. 18 to less than 19,000 on Tuesday.