MANILA (UCAN): Bishop Jose Bagaforo of Kidapawan, said that Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte, failed to unite the Filipino people against the country’s “true enemy” the Covid-19 coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). He said that Duterte’s recent State of the Nation Address should have highlighted the country’s solidarity and avoided pushing an agenda that further divided the people.
The bishop, who is the national director of Caritas Philippines, said Duterte had the perfect opportunity to unify the Filipino people during his address but did not take it. He said the Philippines needed national unity instead of enduring a “divisive” and “rhetorical” speech for an hour and 40 minutes.
“The pandemic could have been the silver lining for the government to push for a whole-society response toward unity and solidarity. But pride, prejudice and power prevailed over better judgment and people’s welfare,” Bishop Bagaforo said.
The bishop also noted that Duterte’s address was a repeat of previous speeches on drugs that led to a propagation of a “culture of death” with extrajudicial killings and the proposed revival of the death penalty law.
“He (Duterte) is so enraged with past disappointments that all he can think of is revenge, which at the end of his speech just divided further an already broken nation,” Bishop Bagaforo added.
The bishop also criticised Duterte for not presenting a “clear roadmap” of governance and management to fight the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic that has infected more than 89,000 Filipinos.
“The president failed to clearly present his plans on how to improve the healthcare system in this country and deliver public service to vulnerable sectors,” he said.
Bishop Bagaforo pointed to testing being available only to people showing symptoms of the virus.
At least four hospitals in Manila announced they were full to overflowing and were encouraging Covid-19 patients to spend quarantine time at other state facilities.
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The bishops’ commission on prison ministry has also said that penitentiary clinics must be equipped with adequate hospital beds and ventilators should the virus spread in prisons.
“Even prisoners deserve the right to be hospitalised and to receive proper treatment. Just because they were convicted of crimes does not mean the state should brush them aside in terms of health care,” Father Jobert Oliveros, secretary of the prison ministry, said.
Father Oliveros said the billions of dollars the country is borrowing to fight the Covid-19 pandemic must reach all “social strata” of Philippine society, particularly the poor and prisoners.
It is estimated the Philippines has run up debts amounting to nine trillion pesos ($1.4 trillion), much of which was earmarked for the pandemic battle.
“I hope the huge amount the government borrowed will go directly to meet the needs of the people, not only corrupt politicians. This is something the president should have focused on in his (address),” Father Oliveros said.
