‘Where’s the COVID recovery roadmap?’

The spokesman for Vice President Leni Robredo has expressed dissatisfaction over the fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Duterte on Monday, saying it seemed to have been written prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s as if this speech was written before the COVID-19 turned our world upside down and the writers just said ‘f*ck it, no changes’,” lawyer Barry Gutierrez said in a post on Twitter on Monday night.

“Pre-lockdown economic projections, laws passed two years ago and drugs again? That’s really what he’s giving us? As if there’s no pandemic,” Gutierrez said.

Robredo yesterday hit the Department of Health (DOH) for “misleading” the public on the supposed lower COVID-19 positivity rate in the country at present.

“Was quite bothered when I saw a slide posted by DOH the other day essentially claiming that we were able to lower our positivity rate from 22 percent in April to just about eight percent now,” Robredo wrote in her personal Facebook account.

“While the figures are, to a certain extent, correct, the attempt to mislead people and sugarcoat the truth is really saddening,” the Vice President said.

She compared the slides provided by the DOH and her office.

Robredo said the 22 percent the DOH was claiming was not even the average for April but for April 3 alone, when there was “a very measly” 2,280 tests conducted.

She said a very high percentage is expected when the base is very low.

Robredo said the April 30 data of the DOH showed that tests conducted reached over 4,000 with a positivity rate of 8.5 percent.

She said on July 23 and 25, the DOH data showed that the positivity rate was even higher at 12.1 percent with more than 29,000 tests conducted.

“This is alarming. Because you have a bigger base (on July 23 and 25) compared to the one in April yet the positivity rate remains high,” the Vice President noted.

Robredo said despite the increase in COVID-19 tests, cumulative positivity rate is still at more than eight percent.

On Sunday, the Vice President said she expected Duterte’s SONA to focus on the government’s COVID-19 recovery plan.

Robredo earlier said something may be wrong with the government’s response to the crisis as it fails to flatten the COVID-19 curve despite months in community quarantine or lockdown.

Several lawmakers have also found Duterte’s report wanting, as the Chief Executive did not provide a detailed and concrete action plan on the country’s recovery from the pandemic.

Malacañang earlier said the President would unveil a roadmap that would help the country recover from the impact of COVID-19.

Despite the threat posed by COVID-19, Duterte delivered physically his SONA at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City but with limited audience.

President Duterte used his SONA to rant about his personal grudge against the media and assail his critics, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said.

Hontiveros said the President apparently has no clear plan for the people and the country in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Instead of inspiring hope and presenting a cohesive plan to the Filipino people in the middle of a crisis, the President used his State of the Nation Address to rant about his personal grudge against the media and assail his critics, including Senate Minority Leader Frank Drilon,” Hontiveros added.

“Clearly, there is no plan for the people. These so-called attacks against the oligarchy are yet another distraction from the lack of leadership in handling this crisis. No dismantling of the oligarchy, just more favored and new ones. And unlike the President, Senator Drilon is not involved in any political dynasty,” she added.