President Duterte is hoping that the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the country has already peaked, saying the disease remains to be the top threat to Filipinos aside from the New People's Army (NPA).
Duterte made the statement as the nation grapples with a surge in COVID-19 cases.
In his pre-recorded public address on Monday evening, January 17, Duterte said that COVID-19 continues to worry the government.
"The number one threat to the Filipino today, aside from itong NPA and the terrorist, is really the COVID-19 fight," he said.
"It is really a debilitating sickness and a lot of Filipinos are -- kasi contagion 'yan, eh. Hawa-hawa. Mabilis (because it is a contagion. It spreads quickly)," he added.
"That keeps us worried in the coming months," he continued.
The President likewise admitted to hoping that the number of COVID-19 cases in the country has already peaked. However, he was informed by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III that it was not the case yet.
The Philippines continues to register over 30,000 COVID-19 cases daily for almost the past two weeks, a surge possibly fueled by the Omicron variant.
The government's pandemic task force has placed Metro Manila and 81 other areas under Alert Level 3 until the end of the month due to the said spike.
Last week, Malacañang renewed its appeal to the public to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as the new Omicron variant is still dangerous especially to those who have not received the shot.