Vice President Leni Robredo advised Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque to review her recommendations on what should be done to address the COVID-19 pandemic after he challenged her to come up with a solution.
“Siguro kailangan niya lang balikan lahat ng statements na ginawa ko kasi andoon iyong rekomendasyon,” Robredo said in an interview.
[Maybe he needs to go back to all the statements I released before because all my recommendations were there.]
Robredo likewise urged the spokesman to issue “unifying” statements during the pandemic instead of emphasizing partisan lines.
“Dapat sana sini-set aside sino ba iyong kakampi, sino ang hindi, iyong pagsabi na dilawan ito, h’wag papakinggan. Lalo niyang napo-polarize ang tao,” she said.
[He should set aside the issue of who’s an ally, who is not, refrain from remarking, this politician is yellow, don’t listen to him. He further polarizes the people.]
Roque earlier this week told Robredo: “Hinahamon ko po si VP Leni, kung mayroon siyang solusyon na walang vaccine at wala pa rin gamot, sabihin niya po 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 (to COVID-19) that doesn’t need a vaccine and a cure, reveal it and I’m sure she might just become president immediately if she could find one that doesn’t need a vaccine or medicine.]
The Lancet medical journal recently identified 19 countries that were able to control their coronavirus outbreaks without a vaccine. The Philippines should study what these countries did, said Robredo.
“Iyong datos ipinapakita na hindi mo kailangan maghintay sa vaccine. Papaano kung iyong vaccine dumating end of 2021 pa… 2022 pa? Nganga na lang tayo?” she said.
[The data show that you do not need to wait for a vaccine. What if the vaccine arrives at the end of 2021, 2022? Will we just wait open-mouthed?]
The Vice President has continued to propose recommendations through her statements, however, Malacañang seems to always perceive it as politicking from the opposition leader.
