Andronico Del Rosario
Netizens were having none of Palace spokesperson Harry Roque’s explanations after President Rodrigo Duterte called the COVID-19 global pandemic a “small thing” during his most recent late-night public address speech.
According to Roque, Duterte wasn’t referring to COVID-19 as a small thing; rather, he was referring to how our country has “fared better” compared to other countries.
“We have been spared from even more deaths that more developed countries have experienced—countries who have funding for healthcare,” Roque said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Netizens, however, were having none of it, as Roque’s defense came after the fact.
Some questioned whether Duterte and the heads of the Inter-Agency Task Force for managing Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) actually know what they are doing.
After one year, we went from “sasampalin ang virus” to “maliit lang na bagay”. After so many deaths and after crippling the economy with so many jobs lost, he still doesn’t know what he’s doing.
— Jai Cabajar (@jaicabajar) March 15, 2021
"Maliit na bagay ito sa buhay natin."
"Filipinos have been on an extended vacation for a year now."
"We were excellent. We controlled the spread of the disease."
– Words from an out-of-touch, intellectually- and morally-bankrupt government
— Gideon Lasco (@gideonlasco) March 15, 2021
Others would call out Duterte himself for “slowly killing” Filipinos. This comes after the one-year anniversary of the lockdown where people have not only lost jobs but lives.
excuse me mr president sa “maliit na bagay ito sa buhay natin” ?????? 1 year nakalockdown without concrete plans ???? people lost their jobs ????? maliit na bagay ????? people died??? excuse me ???? this is not maliit na bagay & it’s scary bc this government is slowly killing us.
— mark geronimo (@markgeronimo_) March 15, 2021
12,837 deaths. Almost 627,000 cases. The many fighting for their lives in ICU’s today. Even more just struggling to survive day to day.
“Maliit na bagay." https://t.co/XoxJ1AJjDb
— Barnaby Lo 吳宗鴻 (@barnabychuck) March 15, 2021
https://twitter.com/thecaptaaain/status/1371647980822949888
Maliit na bagay lang ito? Tell that to the families of the 12,837 who died from COVID-19. Tell that to the people who have lost their jobs and businesses. Tell that to the exhausted frontline workers.
And please, iwanan mo na kami. https://t.co/dM2yMI7hTw
— Miss Maggie (@MiaMagdalena) March 15, 2021
Perhaps film director Tonette Jadaone expressed the nation’s disgust best at Duterte’s remark.
“MALIIT NA BAGAY”??????????????
— Toñet (@tonetjadaone) March 16, 2021
Even this netizen could not hide her disgust at Duterte’s off-the-cuff remark “meant to lighten the mood” and “raise Filipino’s morale”.
Another young friend of mine just lost her dad to Covid-19 last night and all you can say is “maliit na bagay [ang pandemic] sa buhay natin”?
ANO BA
— Lis (@lisfortun) March 16, 2021
Detained Sen. Leila De Lima, one of Duterte’s biggest critics, managed to phrase netizens’ disgust in a more polite tone.
I understand he is only trying to assuage the public when he said “Maliit na bagay ito sa buhay natin”. It’s an assurance bereft of a legitimate plan and diligent leadership.
READ the full version, here: https://t.co/rziNYRjxYr
— Leila de Lima (@AttyLeiladeLima) March 16, 2021
One netizen did, however, show what Roque would be doing the moment his daily Laging Handa media briefing would start.
Harry Roque tomorrow. Photo not mine. https://t.co/PytzMNvIRb pic.twitter.com/JwkEbWMiaV
— RMA (@masaralphe) March 15, 2021
Netizens also wondered how Duterte still needs a “translator” four and a half years into his presidency.
4.5 years into his presidency and and someone else still has to "translate" his words for him 🙄 https://t.co/9WutcY7hf5
— deegee (@anuna_deegee) March 16, 2021
https://twitter.com/akosivhilly/status/1371790824950796298
https://twitter.com/prinsipedoy/status/1371791126131216385
This latest “translation” would be Roque’s latest attempt at explaining what Duterte has said on live TV.
Earlier this month, he would explain how the Duterte administration has championed women’s rights better than any other administration, though he would be put down by netizens.
He would also defend Duterte’s shoot-to-kill order against “armed communist rebels”, saying the country was “at war” and that it was not against international law to kill an armed combatant.
