Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 16) — Cabinet Secretary and COVID-19 task force spokesperson Karlo Nograles believes nations in Southeast Asia shouldn’t be pitted against each other when it comes to the number of coronavirus cases.
The latest data from the John Hopkins University tracker shows the Philippines has the most number of confirmed cases in the ASEAN region with 5,453 cases.
“Hindi naman ito contest among ASEAN nations, hindi ito contest na pakontian ng number… Don’t get disheartened if ang nakikita mo is dumadami tayo, mas malaki na tayo sa Malaysia, o tayo na ang pinakamalaki sa ASEAN,” he said in a virtual briefing.
[Translation: This is not a contest among ASEAN nations. This isn’t a contest to see which country has the lowest number. Do not be disheartened if our numbers are rising, if we have more cases compared to Malaysia, or we have the highest number in the ASEAN region.]
Nograles said the nations are banded together, sharing the practices that are working to curb the spread of COVID-19. He said, through these conversations, the Philippine government is confident it is taking the right steps in responding to the global pandemic.
“That just gave us even more determination and it reinforced sa amin at kay Pangulo (to us and the President) that we are doing what we should be doing. We now have a mechanism that we’re sharing best practices. We’re sharing what everybody else is doing. We share the same challenges,” he said.
He said there is no competition at all, as the countries are facing similar problems, such as the shortage of personal protective gear and health facilities, adding all nations are waiting for a vaccine to be available.
