Vice President Leni Robedo on Sunday slammed presidential spokesman Harry Roque’s “outburst” against health workers, saying the Palace official has no right to bully frontliners who are risking their lives in the fight against COVID-19.
In a footage posted on Twitter by PDI reporter Marlon Ramos, Roque was shown expressed his frustration on a group of doctors during a Zoom meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to discuss updates on government’s COVID-19 response.
But Robredo said the IATF was created to also heed the concerns of all sectors.
“Kaya nga may Inter-Agency Task Force para pakinggan lahat, kung ‘di ka agree okay lang sabihin na ‘di ka agree pero wala kang karapatan mam-bully (at) mambastos,” Robredo said during her weekly radio program.
(The IATF is supposed to listen to all sectors, if you can’t agree, it is okay. But you don’t have the right to bully and disrespect anyone.)
“Kasi kaming mga gov’t official nandyan kami ‘di para sa sarili namin kundi para i-represent ang taumbayan,” she pointed out.
(Government officials are not there for ourselves, but for the people.)
On the plight of doctors’ during the pandemic, Robredo said, medical frontliners have the right to air their concerns because they are also representing their sector.
Also, Robredo pointed out that doctors do not deserve Roque’s treatment as they have already lost so many colleagues to COVID-19.
“Yung mga doktor, last year pa sila, ang dami na nilang kasamang namatayan at nagkasakit. Hindi nila deserve ito. Nandun sila para i-represent ang sektor nila kaya sa akin, napaka-misplaced ng galit,” Robredo said.
(Doctors have been working since last year, a number of their colleagues have died, and many of them have fallen ill. They don’t deserve such treatment. To me, the outburst was misplaced.)
Opposition wants gov’t to succeed
After the country reported yet another record-high number of new COVID-19 infections on Saturday, Robredo took issue on the national government’s continued failure to listen to health workers.
She said that the country cannot hope for the revival of the economy if the surge in infections would not be controlled.
“Para sa akin parang false binary ang health versus economy. Kasi sa akin ang ekonomiya madaling mabuksan kung kontrolado ang transmission ng virus,” said Robredo, who is a graduate UP School of Economics.
(The health-versus-economy is a faulty opposition. For me, the economy can be opened easily if we control the transmission of virus.)
On the other hand, the vice president disagreed with Roque’s remark that the political opposition makes criticisms because it wants the Duterte administration to fail.
“Parang sinasabi ni Secretary Roque na ang opposition daw gusto mag-fail ang government. Diba kalokohan?” Robredo said.
(Roque is saying that the political opposition wants government to fail, but isn’t that a foolish idea?)
“Kapag nag-fail ang government, pati opposition nadadamay. Ang ibig kung sabihin, yung mga hanapbuhay natin apektado, yung kaligtasan apektado. Sino magwi-wish na mag-fail ang gobyerno sa panahong ito?” she pointed out.
(If the government fails, the opposition also fails. Our livelihoods and safety are affected. Now, who wants the government to fail amid the pandemic?)
Aside from the leaked video, Roque also scolded health workers who are criticizing the government’s COVID-19 response, saying that they belong to a minority group.
Roque publicly apologized for his “outburst of emotion”, but the doctors’ group said the apology was “not sincere.” —LBG, GMA News
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