Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 27)— President Rodrigo Duterte reiterated the order for local government officials to strictly implement protocols to combat COVID-19, saying those who would not be able to perform their duties can “move aside.”
“If they are not at par… ‘di palitan natin sila (let’s just replace them),” Duterte said in a meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force officials and experts on Saturday. “In the meantime, we do not remove them from office, palitan, just move aside and maybe the vice mayor can do it. That’s my suggestion to [Interior] Secretary [Eduardo] Año.”
“If they are not doing the very things that are important in this fight, ‘yung iba (the others) they take it as just an ordinary thing… maybe they have not realized the seriousness, then we can always move them,” he added.
Duterte also underscored the essential task of LGUs with regards to the country’s coronavirus fight — particularly the crucial roles of barangay (village) captains and mayors.
“Make it an obligation for them to really strictly follow also the whatever direction that we take in this fight against COVID,” the chief executive stressed.
The Philippines has so far logged 469,005 COVID-19 cases, with 1,406 more virus infections reported on Saturday.
