Robredo urges unified COVID-19 messaging from gov’t officials

Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday urged government officials to unify their messaging on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) following confusion over the onset of the second wave of infections in the country.

“Iyong public, parang naghihintay nga sa mga deklarasyon niyo tapos iyong deklarasyon ng isa, iba sa deklarasyon ng iba. Hindi natin kailangan iyong ganitong kalituhan sa panahong ito,” she said in her weekly radio show.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III earlier came under fire after announcing that the Philippines was experiencing its second wave of COVID-19 cases.

His pronouncement was disputed by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque, and Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, among others.

Duque, later on, retracted his initial statement and clarified that the country was only experiencing its “first major wave of sustained transmission.”

“Iyong punto natin na sana nag-uusap-usap muna sila bago mag-make ng public statements… Kasi kung ang statement ng [Department of Health] iba sa statement ng Malacañang, ‘di ba, litong-lito na iyong taumbayan,” Robredo said.

“Sa akin lang, ngayon kasi iyong panahon na kailangan very deliberate iyong messaging kasi may takot iyong tao e. May takot iyong tao, maraming hinihintay iyong tao na declarations,” she added.

The vice president also urged Malacañang to immediately release the guidelines of its pronouncements, citing some local officials who were confused about the implementation of declarations made by President Rodrigo Duterte. — DVM, GMA News