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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Palace: No stopping Duterte now in fight vs COVID-19

Palace: No stopping Duterte now in fight vs COVID-19

Published Mar 14, 2020 12:00 am
By Argyll Cyrus Geducos There’s no stopping President Duterte now from performing his duties, especially during these dire times. This was pointed out by Malacanang after the President tested negative for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). President Rodrigo Roa Duterte announces the content of the resolution adopted by the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) following the meeting at the Malacañan Palace on March 12, 2020. (RICHARD MADELO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) President Rodrigo Roa Duterte announces the content of the resolution adopted by the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) following the meeting at the Malacañan Palace on March 12, 2020. (RICHARD MADELO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) In a statement, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo confirmed that President Duterte's test results came out negative for COVID-19. The Chief Executive had himself tested late Thursday afternoon. "This is to officially announce that President Rodrigo Roa Duterte tested negative for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)," he announced late Friday. "This means that there is no stopping the Chief Executive from performing his primary constitutional duty of serving and protecting the people, especially at this perilous time when our country is faced with a deathly disease that threatens the very lives of our countrymen," he added. According to Panelo, President Duterte will continue to follow protocols for his own safety. "PRRD will continue to work with his usual passion and dedication for the nation. He will observe pre-emptive measures to secure his health as he steers the government in arresting the spread of the contagion," he said. Meanwhile, the Palace official assured the public that the government was ready to respond to any concern but asked for everyone's cooperation in addressing the outbreak. "The government remains vigilant even as it prepares to respond to any disturbing development that will evolve vis-à-vis COVID-19," Panelo said. "We call on everyone to rally behind the government in its fight against this pandemic. Let us lock our hands in unity and will triumph over this war against the unseen enemy," he added. On Friday, Panelo said President Duterte will be staying in Manila to oversee the government's measures against the COVID-19 outbreak amid the month-long National Capital Region (NCR) lockdown. In an interview over ANC, Panelo said Duterte thumbed down his common-law wife Honeylet Avanceña's request for him to fly back to Davao City. "He said, 'No," Panelo recalled. "'The face of the country is Manila and the President had to be here so I’ll be here,'" he recounted the President saying. Panelo likewise said President Duterte wanted to hold a meeting with the Inter-agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease every day to assess the virus. President Duterte announced that NCR would be placed "community quarantine" following "sustained community transmission." "The President had to undertake stringent measures because he’s expecting a spike, he wants to see how effective these measures would be," Panelo explained. The Department of Health (DOH) announced Friday that the number confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country had reached 64 with five deaths. The COVID-19 outbreak has killed around 4,900 people and infected some 130,000 others worldwide, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare it as a pandemic. Read more: Duterte, Bong Go both test negative for COVID-19
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