President Duterte has blamed fake news peddled by rebel group and other "enemies" of the government over the vaccine hesitancy of some Filipinos, especially those in Mindanao.
Duterte said Monday night, April 11, it is the government's "enemies" who have been spreading false information and particularly tagged the Communist Party of the Philippines as among them.
"They have been feeding the public with kung ano-anong kasinungalingan (with whatever lies)," he said.
Duterte was reacting to the report made by National Task Force Against Covid-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Charlie Galvez during their meeting.
Galvez said the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and the Region 12 recorded the lowest number of Covid-19 vaccination rate, with only 20 percent of their total population are fully vaccinated against the virus.
He attributed the low tally due to "fake news" and "disinformation."
"The problem is, I said, with the advent of the new gadgets available in the hands of the ordinary person, he can also participate in the social order making news...Ang problema kasi itong (The problem is) false news," the President said.
Duterte said fake news does not always come with a caveat or a warning, so he is "addressing the entire nation because it is important for our lives." The government cannot even run after them, he added.
"There is no way that we can really go — panic, hatred, especially yung mga kalaban ng gobyerno (the enemies of the government) for example the Communist Party of the Philippines," he said.