Coronavirus a ‘test of competence’ for Philippine government, says Duterte critic Maria Ressa
- Duterte’s administration is dividing society by ‘demonising’ journalists and opposition politicians instead of focusing on containing Covid-19, Ressa says
- The Philippines has the highest number of coronavirus infections in Southeast Asia, with cases approaching 140,000
“It sees the problem by dividing society, by demonising people,” Ressa said. “Journalists are demonised. Opposition politicians are demonised.”
Philippines plunges into recession as coronavirus devastates economy
The CEO of news website Rappler also noted that Duterte had relied on retired military generals in the country’s battle against the pandemic, and urged the administration to look beyond loyalty to defeat the virus.
“Instead of dividing, unite, because in order to deal with a virus, you’re going to need a whole-of-society approach,” Ressa said. “This requires real leadership, not demonisation, not consolidation of political power. This is leadership to bring everyone together so that we can actually move in the same direction.”
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Hundreds stranded at Manila airport as Philippines returns to Covid-19 lockdown
The Philippines has the highest number of coronavirus cases in Southeast Asia, with cases approaching 140,000 as of Tuesday, and the death toll reaching 2,312.
Ressa said if the Duterte administration does not deal with the virus using the “3Ts” formula of testing, tracing and treating, then the country would not be able to contain the virus or save lives.
“You know our health care system is collapsing. You must do something more than this,” Ressa said.
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Recently, dozens of medical societies urged the government to impose stricter lockdowns and called for a “time out” to allow frontline workers to recalibrate their anti-coronavirus strategies.
They said doctors, nurses and other health care workers are feeling burned out, telling the government that the country’s “health care system has been overwhelmed”.
“We are now in our 20th week of lockdown,” Ressa said. “That is the longest globally, and probably among the most militaristic, the most security-focused around the world. They said we essentially wasted any potential gains from the lockdown.”
Metro Manila and nearby provinces are now on the seventh day of the so-called Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine, after Duterte ordered the areas to revert to tighter quarantine restrictions for two weeks from August 4, as coronavirus cases nationwide soared past 100,000.
Ressa, known for her critical coverage of the Duterte administration, slammed the government for their actions, including failing to “actually have the numbers for evidence-based decision-making”.
“The problem with a virus is that you can’t demonise a virus. The government must actually perform. So this is a test of competence for the Duterte administration,” she said.
Amid the strict lockdowns, the Philippine economy shrank by a record 16.5 per cent in the second quarter this year.
The drop is the largest since comparable data became available in 1981, and it follows a 0.7 per cent year-on-year decline in the first quarter of the year, plunging the country into a technical recession, which is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth.
“The Duterte administration sees the crisis as an ‘either-or’ deal with public health issues or if the country should deal with the economy,” Ressa said.
