Vice President Leni Robredo can instantly become the country's President if she can offer a solution to the coronavirus emergency, Malacañang said Tuesday.

After Robredo criticized the government’s pandemic response, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque challenged the Vice President to come up with a plan to resolve the pandemic that will not depend on the development of a vaccine.

"Hinahamon ko po si VP Leni, kung mayroon siyang solusyon na walang vaccine at wala pa ring gamot, sabihin po niya, dahil sigurado po baka ngayon din maging Presidente siya kung makahanap siya ng solusyon habang walang bakuna at walang gamot (I am challenging VP Leni. If she has a solution that does not need a vaccine and a cure, tell us. Because I'm sure she might immediately become the president if she can present a solution while there is no vaccine and cure)," he said during a televised press briefing.

Robredo earlier declared that the President's plan to wait for the coronavirus vaccine to effectively address the pandemic was not enough. 

She instead proposed that medical and non-medical measures should be pursued to suppress the pandemic in the country. She said the pandemic cannot be resolved by spraying pesticides from an airplane as suggested by President.

The pandemic response, she added, should involve overcoming humanitarian emergencies including poverty, hunger, unemployment, mental distress, and other COVID-19 related problems; restructuring public and private finances; and rebuilding an inclusive, resilient and sustainable economy.

Roque, however, asked Robredo and the rest of the opposition bloc to open their "eyes and ears" to the government's improved efforts to address the pandemic. He said they have apparently ignored the improved testing, tracing and treatment efforts made by the government.

"Wala raw tayong ginagawa. Well, sila lang ‘ata ang hindi nakakaalam kung anong ginagawa ng gobyerno. Buksan po ang mga mata at buksan po ang mga pandinig (We are supposedly doing nothing. Well, it seems they are the only ones who don't know what the government is doing. Better open your eyes and ears)," he said.

In his televised address Monday night, the President hit back at Robredo and other "dilawan" critics for allegedly making "reckless statements" that the government was not doing enough to address the pandemic. Duterte said he did not know what the critics still wanted from the government, citing efforts that have already enhanced country's healthcare capacity.

"They are trying to delude people about --- they are trying to picture that there is a failure of government. We have done our best. We have responded to the medical needs,” he said. "We are surviving and we are only waiting for the vaccine,” he said.