WATCH: Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque blew his top during the online IATF meeting last Tuesday after a group of doctors opposed the government’s decision to relax the quarantine protocols in NCR despite the soaring COVID-19 cases. pic.twitter.com/1KZlSrzPuh
— Marlon Ramos (@iammarlonramos) September 9, 2021
The spokesman apologized if he offended anyone, but he justified that he is only human and he was defending the poor families who need to work to survive.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 10) — Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque is in hot water for lashing out at a group of physicians who expressed worry about the government’s initial plan for Metro Manila to shift to a more relaxed general community quarantine amid a surge of COVID-19 cases.
Roque and other members of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases virtually met with health experts from the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) on Tuesday to discuss the guidelines on relaxing quarantine restrictions in the capital region.
“I apologize kung na-offend kayo sa manner,” he said in a media briefing. “But the message remains clear: Kinakailangan pakinggan din natin ang hanay ng nagugutom.”
In a video obtained on Friday by Marlon Ramos of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Roque, who is also the spokesperson for the IATF, can be seen losing his cool as he addressed Dr. Maricar Limpin, president of PCP.
Roque was defending the government’s COVID-19 response, saying they are trying to also look at the “economic ramifications” of enforcing hard lockdowns.
[Translation: I apologize if you were offended with the manner of how I said it. But my message remains clear, we need to listen to the needs of those who are going hungry.]
“Who wants COVID to kill people?” he said. “Are you saying that only medical frontliners are concerned about the health of the people?”
” We all want to save lives,” he also said. “For crying out loud! No one in the government wants a single life lost. No one! How dare you think we are not considering steps to prevent the loss of lives?”
Roque was reminded by another Cabinet member to relax, but to no avail.
“No, they have to hear this!” he said while repeatedly pointing his finger at the camera.
In another video posted by Ramos, President Rodrigo Duterte’s mouthpiece can be heard saying, “This group, they have never said anything good about government response.”
The meeting happened on Tuesday, a few hours before Roque announced that the IATF will postpone the implementation of the GCQ with alert levels, which was supposed to be implemented the next day. An official admitted the guidelines are not yet ready so they had to defer its start.
Roque admitted he became “emotional” after Limpin started crying when she appealed for the government to impose hard lockdown to mitigate the dire situation in hospitals due to the COVID-19 surge.
