MANILA, Philippines – Filipinos who violate quarantine rules, specifically those proven to hold cockfighting tournaments and drinking sessions, will not receive help from the government, President Rodrigo Duterte said in his address on Thursday evening, April 16.

“For those people who are identified by the barangay captains and the mayors, who are violating the quarantine, pasensya ho kayo (I apologize), help would not [arrive],” Duterte said.

He added: “Kung ganoon, may pera pala. Kulang na kulang nga eh, ibigay ko na lang sa nangangailangan at wala nang mapuntahan (If you can do that, then you have money. We already lack so much, I’ll just give the aid to those who need it and those who have nowhere to go).”

Duterte gave the statement after airing frustrations about enforcing coronavirus lockdown rules, and the distribution of relief packs and cash aid to millions of poor and disenfranchised Filipinos.

The President on March 25 signed into law a massive cash assistance program intended to provide help to 18 million families.

Upon implementation, however, the government has seen that their numbers did not match the needs of people on the ground, so among the poor, the poorest among them would be prioritized by local officials.

With the new statement, the President wants local officials to add another guideline in their distribution of goods and aid. (READ: Duterte chaos leaves barangay officials ‘helpless’ amid lockdown)

Police reported around 119,000 alleged violators of lockdown and curfew rules all over the Philippines as of Wednesday, April 15. Of this number, around 28,000 were arrested, while other suspects were warned or fined.

It is unclear whether the President’s words will take the form of policy or if local officials will follow his statement on their own. So far, government policies in relation to the coronavirus outbreak have been crafted by the Inter-Agency Task Force, and implemented on the ground by the police and the military under a joint task force.

As of Thursday, the Philippines has 5,660 coronavirus cases, with 362 deaths and 435 recoveries. The number of infections worldwide surpassed 2 million, while over 137,000 people have died across 193 countries and territories. – with a report from Agence France-Presse/Rappler.com