Palace on COVID-19 crisis: The worst is over

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang believes that the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is over even as the confirmed cases of coronavirus infections in the Philippines continue to increase by thousands on a daily basis.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said this in response to a recent Social Weather Station (SWS) survey that showed that more than half or 57 percent of Filipinos believe that the worst-case scenario of the ongoing health crisis is yet to come.

“Naintindihan po natin iyong pessimism ng ating kababayan dahil napakahirap po talaga nitong pandemya na dinulot nito ‘no. Pero ang masasabi ko lang po, the worst is over!” Roque said Wednesday, September 16, 2020, in an interview over state-run PTV.

(We understand the pessimism of our countrymen because this pandemic has really made it very difficult. But all I can say is, the worst is over!)

Roque claimed that the country only “hit rock bottom” because the government had to shut the economy through strict lockdown measures to curtail the spread of the respiratory disease.

“Kaya lang naman po talaga tayong we hit rock bottom dahil sinara natin ang ekonomiya. Kaya nga po ngayon ang ating panawagan sa lahat, puwede po tayong mabuhay na nandiyan pa ang COVID dahil hanggang wala namang bakuna, walang gamot eh talagang matatagalan ang ating pandemya ‘no,” Roque said.

(We really hit rock bottom because we closed the economy. That is why today we call on everyone, we can live while COVID is still here because as long as there is no vaccine, there is no cure, the pandemic will go on.)

“Pero ang sinasabi lang po ng ating Pangulo, puwede naman pong mabuhay basta pag-ingatan po ang ating mga kalusugan para tayo ay makapaghanapbuhay at makakamit natin ito sa pamamagitan ng hugas, mask at iwas,” he added

(But what the President is saying is that can survive as long as we take care of our health so that we can earn a living and we achieve this through washing of hands, wearing face masks and prevention.)

Six months since the government enforced varying quarantine measures, the Philippines now has a total of 272,934 confirmed coronavirus cases, the highest in the entire Southeast Asian region. Of the total cases, 207,858 have recovered while 4,732 have died.

/CFC