An interior department official who branded her “lugaw” and “non-essential” was a “burden” to the Philippines’ battle with a spike of COVID-19 cases, said Vice President Leni Robredo’s camp on Thursday.
Interior Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III was previously quoted saying that he called the Vice President “Lugaw” as a joke. However, he said he was “serious” in calling her “non-essential.”
According to the Vice President’s spokesperson Barry Gutierrez, Densing “epitomizes the admin’s COVID response.”
“With cases rising, hospitals full, & millions struggling, instead of doing real work he makes ‘jokes,’ plays politics, & bashes someone who’s actually doing the job they’re supposed to,” he said in a social media post.
“Di lang ito ‘non-essential.’ Ito ay pabigat,” he added.
Densing first called Robredo “lugaw” or rice porridge in an interview on Wednesday. An interviewer was supposed to ask him about a viral video where a woman who appeared to be a barangay official prevented a rider from delivering lugaw, claiming the meal was non-essential.
“Tama iyong sinabi niya, non-essential si lugaw. Pero kung sinabi niya, essential ang lugaw, tama ‘yon. Ang lugaw. Pero si lugaw ang binanggit niya. Non-essential talaga ‘yon sa paningin namin,” he said in an interview.
Critics often call Robredo “lugaw”, in reference to the rice porridge meal that her team would at times bring to victims of calamities.
