Andronico Del Rosario
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque would defend the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), even boldly claiming that abolishing the IATF would be equal to losing the national government.
“Totoo po, maraming mga ex-military. Isang dahilan po kung bakit tiwala ang ating Presidente ay dahil magaling po sa logistics ang military,” Roque said during today’s Laging Handa media briefing.
He would even claim that it was not the IATF’s fault that the virus mutated, causing what has been record-high case counts since the third quarter of 2020.
He would also say the government has not shown incompetence, touting the 50,000 tests done for COVID-19 daily, up from merely 3,000 tests a day in April 2020.
Roque even pointed out how the country’s “decreasing case fatality rate” is better than the global average. However, again another sign that the IATF is “doing well.”
“Metro Manila mayors also voted to close gyms, spas, and Internet cafes for two weeks—not the IATF,” Roque added, essentially passing on the blame of the stricter quarantine to Metro Manila mayors.
Roque also accused government critics of politicizing the pandemic. He said they are only getting backlash because of the coming 2022 National Elections.
Roque would eventually go on record to say that all IATF decisions are science- and data-driven. “Lalabanan natin ang mga deklarasyon sa pamamagitan ng katotohanan base sa siyensiya at datos.”
This last line would get Netizens riled up, pointing out how compulsory wearing of face shields is not exactly data- and science-driven.
I didn't know the compulsory wearing of face shield outdoors is data- and science-driven https://t.co/1DroqPorN3
— daryl (@darylramosx) March 23, 2021
Another Netizen would point out how Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez based the recent COVID-19 surges on essentially nothing but mere hearsay.
https://twitter.com/engrsofmnl/status/1374235372750737408
Even Health Secretary Francisco Duque III’s name got dragged into the conversation after not expecting a surge due to the opening of the economy.
https://twitter.com/skullohmania/status/1374234325823016965
Roque also said the IATF welcomes all suggestions, “pero walang makakapantay pagdating sa human capital ng IATF dahil buong bureaucracy ng gobterno ang nagsama-sama.”
Roque: We welcome all suggestions paero walang makakapantay pagdating sa human capital ng IATF dahil buong bureaucracy ng gobyerno ay nagsama-sam (2/2)
— News Watch Plus PH (@newswatchplusph) March 23, 2021
It also did not sit well with Netizens, who pointed out how the bureaucracy was the actual problem.
https://twitter.com/derick_gab/status/1374229484291780612
Nagsama-sama ang buong bureaucracy ng gobyerno? Ahhh kaya pala ganyan ang response… https://t.co/gtNezD9eGQ
— Miko Losman (@AllOfTheHeights) March 23, 2021
The IATF has, of late, been issuing statements that seem to come out of nowhere. From the opening of the economy in February and March that led to today’s two-week “NCR bubble” the IATF has ignored science and data, opting to rely on their network of information.
IATF officials have even gone on record to say to critics—most of whom are regular Filipinos—had no on-the-ground data on what is happening outside of Malacañang Palace.
