MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday that the national government should stay fully operational to guarantee the effective delivery of public service amid spike in Covid-19 infections among government workers.
Duterte made the statement in response to an increase in Covid-19 cases among government employees, including healthcare workers in public hospitals and members of the Presidential Security Group (PSG).
“Alam mo, kung bawalan tayo tapos lahat sa gobyerno kasi opisina ‘yan. Opisina por opisina por opisina. So kung may asymptomatic diyan talagang mahahawa. Ngayon if bawalan mo lahat magtrabaho (You know, if we are prohibited from working it would affect other offices. If there is an asymptomatic worker then others will really be infected. Now, if you prohibit us from working) then the machinery of government will stop to grind,” he said in a prerecorded public address.
He did not specify which government agencies he was referring to, but it appeared that he was also referring to his experience in his own office.
As the nation’s highest official, Duterte mentioned that he must continue to deliver regular public address in order to “communicate to the people what the government is doing”.
He claimed that being a civil servant included the risk of contracting Covid-19.
“Now, if ma-compromise tayo (if we are compromised) that’s part of the game. ‘Yan ang trabaho namin. Ngayon, kung magka Covid kami (If we get Covid), then so be it. Kasali sa trabaho ‘yan e. Now, kung mamatay ako (It’s part of our job. Now if I die) then so be it,” he added.
Malacañang has released a memorandum circular (MC) on Saturday outlining the requirements and procedures for reducing the on-site workforce in government offices below the minimum that was set under the Alert Level System (ALS).
Government agencies will remain fully operational under Alert Level 4, with at least 20 percent on-site capacity for workers; at least 30 percent on-site capacity for Alert Level 3; and at least 50 percent on-site capacity for Alert Level 2.
On January 6, PSG commander Col. Randolph Cabangbang revealed that 15 PSG personnel had tested positive for Covid-19.
However, he assured that the personnel “are not in any way” detailed to the President.
Cabangbang also stated that the rest of the PSG personnel are still physically fit and capable of protecting the President.
The Philippine General Hospital (PGH) confirmed on Saturday that it is now in “crisis mode”, with nearly 40 percent of its Covid-19 healthcare workers either infected with the virus or in quarantine after being exposed to it.
PGH spokesperson, Dr. Jonas Del Rosario, said that as long as they are asymptomatic, healthcare workers who were quarantined for testing positive for Covid-19 shall report back to work.
Currently, the PGH has about 2,000 healthcare workers and ancillary staff members involved in Covid-19 operations.
Of this figure, 310 of them tested positive for Covid-19 during the past week.
