Number of Covid cases rising, Duterte resorts to prayer

DAVAO CITY – The Philippines continues to register high number of Covid-19 cases as the government struggles to control the spread of the deadly respiratory disease and putting in question and even doubts the country’s vaccination program.

President Rodrigo Duterte kneels in prayer during a Catholic wedding ceremony on January 8, 2021. (Photo by Albert Alcain)

Ten months had passed since the Wuhan virus spread to the Philippines and crippled its economy, the Duterte administration have so far failed to acquire Covid vaccines for its populations as the country’s debts are now over P10 trillion, mostly from loans to purchase the needed vaccines, especially those from China.

Duterte has confirmed the rising Covid infections in the country which now has over 516,000 confirmed cases and more than 10,000 deaths since March last year. And the new strain of Covid-19 is not only threatening the country, it has frightened medical experts who fear the worst is yet to come.

“You know, we continue to rise sa transmission sa Covid. We are still trying to figure out itong mga scientists, itong mga statisticians, and those who have knowledge of how it is done kung saan ito. It could be a late reaction doon sa mga congregation ng mga tao (during Yuletide season) or it could also be the present situation where a lot of people are around, out of their residences, most of the Filipinos doing their work or employment for their livelihood,” Duterte asked.

“Hindi ko kasi mapigil na and I do not think any country can really do that na kulungin ko kayo lahat. Unless of course it becomes a plague itong mga sometimes they call it itong mga contagion as a plague. When people are dying on the streets then maybe I could use the draconian measures of telling everybody to stay put inside their houses. Ang problema is how to sustain ‘yung mga wala — ‘yung isang tuka, isang kahig; isang kahig, isang tuka,” he said.

Duterte – who previously cursed God and other saints - said he and other government officials are now praying that this pandemic would soon be over.

“So it behooves now on government to really answer for their daily needs. And I think that we will be able to surmount kung kain lang but it would also, at the same time, kill the economy because nobody’s working. Again, we’d go back to the non-productivity of the economy. Walang nagta-trabaho, walang output, walang nagba-bayad, walang nagbe-benta, at lahat na.”

“So we continue to pray. Kami dito kasi it’s still rising, umaabot na ng more than 500,000 ang tinamaan. I hope it would not reach millions because then we would be in serious trouble. We would be no better than the other countries whose rise is really exponential,” he said.

Duterte said the public should strictly follow the health protocols by washing hands frequently with soap and water, and use face mask. Ironically, Duterte himself does not wear face mask during his virtual presser.

“Ang problema nito is how you maybe obey the protocols of maghugas then mask. Ang mask makakatulong ‘yan. It does not provide actually 100 percent. Hindi kami nagsasabi nag-mask, hindi ka tatamaan. Pero you’ll reduce it by about — ako tingin ko, in my own estimate, layman lang ako sa mga bagay na ito kasi hindi ako doktor, I’m not a medical person — it will give you something like 80 percent ano basta worn properly. Kasi ‘yung iba nagma-mask tapos nakikita ko ‘yung ilong ninyo sumasabit doon just on the edge of the mask, the upper portion. So it does not really give a relief at all kung ganoon ang — ka-careless ang tao na gumagamit,” he further explained.

Much of the country is still under Moderate General Community Quarantine, but Duterte’s hometown Davao City has one of the highest Covid infections in the Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)

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