Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 27) — Congressman Paolo Duterte has apologized on behalf of his son Omar, who allegedly refused to follow safety protocol to enter a supermarket in Davao City.
The Presidential son, better known as Pulong Duterte, issued a statement on Friday to address reports that Omar went to shop at an S&R Membership Shopping branch but did not line up for the stringent screening requirements of the establishment.
“This incident is unfortunate given the health emergency that we are facing these days — while most of us are preoccupied with efforts to protect every Dabawenyo, especially our frontliners and government responders and volunteers,” the older Duterte said. “It is with humility that I apologize for the behavior of Omar and his impertinence shall be dealt with accordingly.”
The congressman added that the Presidential Security Group is also probing the “alleged misconduct” of the security team which accompanied Omar.
In a Facebook post early Friday, the Presidential grandson explained why he did not follow the grocery’s protocol of washing hands before entering the store.
“We were already wearing gloves and followed proper hand hygiene by the time we arrived at S&R. The staff of S&R even insisted we enter due to them seeing we already had put on gloves and followed proper hand sanitation,” he said, even explaining that he went to pick up a few items to celebrate his first wedding anniversary with his wife.
“I personally would have laughed at the idea of washing hands in front of people while not a moment ago they just saw us putting on gloves and washing them. It seems that some people took the protocols to the letter that even latex gloves aren’t enough to prevent the virus from infecting our hands within those gloves. To those people who felt I should have followed protocol whilst being fully gloved, I’m sorry,” he added, noting that he would have just given in even if he thought that washing his hands again was “comedic.”
Davao City has been placed under community quarantine, prescribing limited movement of residents to prevent the spread of COVID-19. People heading out to buy supplies are required to wear face masks for safety.
