In denial pa rin! Zarate slams Duterte for epic fail response to pandemic

By Billy Begas

House Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate on Sunday urged the government to admit its “kapalpakan” in handling the COVID-19 pandemic.

“After more than a year of lockdown, should the Duterte administration still wait that the number of infected cases breach the million mark before it will decisively act to end its kapalpakan? Time to end toying, even clowning with the lives of our people,” said Zarate in a statement.

Zarate said the government should abandon “its failed militarist, skewed approach and instead ramp up more health and medical solutions.”

“Without massive free mass testing, aggressive contact tracing, effective and timely isolation and treatment, as well as fast-tracked vaccination roll out, extending the lockdown would be next to pointless as this does not squarely address the problem of COVID infections,” added Zarate.

He said that the first week of lockdown is over but the promised financial subsidy to those affected “is still nowhere in sight.”

“How can you expect something will change when you keep repeating the same ineffective measures?” he asked. “Extending the ECQ is a glaring admission by the administration na pumalpak ito, at patuloy itong pumapalpak.”

Zarate and his colleagues have been calling for free mass testing, expanded and aggressive contact tracing, effective and timely isolation and treatment, hiring of more health workers who will receive their salaries on time, fast track vaccine procurement and rollout, and P10,000 financial assistance to affected families.

Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)