SUMMARY
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Following the leaked video of Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque slamming the Philippine College of Physicians president Dr. Maricar Limpin and a group of medical experts, netizens were quick to condemn Roque’s behavior on Friday, September 10. (READ: Leaked video shows Roque berating doctors in pandemic meeting)
Filipinos online quickly shared their sentiments as they defended the medical workers’ plight and call for better government support amid the alarming number of COVID-19 cases in the country.
Netizens also pointed out how there is no denying that the government has been mishandling the situation, citing the government’s imposition of an unclear quarantine-based system as proof that it has been poorly addressing the situation.
‘Non-existent excellence’ in pandemic response
Filipinos also criticized Roque’s claim that the medical workers “have never said anything good about the government response,” arguing that it is, in fact, clear that the government has been incompetent in managing the pandemic.
Asking the same question
Some Filipinos said Roque was not in any position to raise his voice toward healthcare workers. One netizen asked Roque the same question, “How dare you, Harry Roque, [to] think that our doctors are not considering steps to prevent the loss of lives?”
#KalmaAkoLangTo
Netizens also poked fun of the hashtag #KalmaAkoLangTo, which is often seen in Roque’s attempt to be humorous on Facebook.
Here’s what other social media users have to say:
Following the backlash, Roque eventually apologized for the manner he confronted Limpin, saying he got “emotional” during the IATF meeting. The official, however, maintained that he was not sorry about his “message.”
Ma’am/Ser @attyharryroque, if you’re benefitting billions of pesos from the current government, while millions of Filipinos particularly the health workers are suffering due to the government’s failure to manage the pandemic , you don’t have right to your unbecoming behavior
— Ness (@ness_fajardo) September 10, 2021
Si Harry Roque ang tao na nalunod o nalasing sa kapangyarihan. Recall that he’s even a human rights lawyer before!
— Budz Ong∞ (@budzbfd) September 10, 2021
Kung may konting kahihiyan o delikadeza kapang natitira magresign ka na para ma save pamilya mo sa further na kahihiyan! PDP-Laban is this your kind of senatoriable?
On Wednesday, September 8, the PDP-Laban Cusi faction announced its initial senatorial slate for 2022 elections, which includes Roque as a guest candidate.
What are your thoughts on Roque’s statement? Share it with us in the comments and replies or join The Rappler Room! – Angelo Justin Barraca/Rappler.com
Angelo Justin Barraca is a Creative Writing student at the University of the Philippines-Diliman. Other than being a Digital Communications volunteer at Rappler, he often whiles away the day reading books, watching films, or simply scrolling through social media sites while having a good cup of coffee.
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