On March 2, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque made an inconsiderate comment about the pandemic and the lockdown.
Roque stated that the Philippines already had a long-year vacation because of COVID-19.
His remark drew flak from celebrities and netizens as he defended the Duterte administration’s decision to make official holidays into “special working holidays”.
Comedienne Marietta Subong, popularly known as “Pokwang” also irked at the Secretary’s remark. The insensitivity of Roque annoyed the comedian that she took to Twitter her opinion regarding the matter.
According to her tweet, the spokesperson should not have considered the pandemic a “vacation”. It’s because of the blows that the Filipinos received during the months-long lockdown. Pokwang stressed that when Roque thought that during the pandemic, Filipinos were just dilly-dallying, he forgot that many were crying because of the death of a loved one. Additionally, with the coronavirus plaguing the world, the Philippines also received a devastating blow to its economy. As a result, many establishments were forced to close down because of it. And with a government official thinking that this is all a vacation, then Filipinos and the rest of the world would not want this kind of vacation.
hindi po bakasyon ang tawag don sir! be sensitive naman po! bakasyon ba matatawag yung umiiyak ka gabi2 kasi wala kana trabaho? pano na pamilya at pangkabuhayan nyo? bakasyon poba yung need mo isara negosyo mo kasi may pandemia? kung ganyan ang bakasyo edi ayoko na mag bakasyon
— marietta subong (@pokwang27) March 2, 2021
With the criticism that Roque received, he released a statement on Tuesday, March 3, stating that he only described the situation of Filipinos who needs to regain the loss they received since the economy is slowly reopening.
“Ang konteksto lang nito, talagang maraming tao ang hindi nakapaghanapbuhay dahil dito sa pandemiyang ito. Kaya nga ninanais ng economic team na makahabol naman tayo,“ he clarified.
“Hindi naman po talaga bakasyon ‘yan, kung hindi, hindi nakapagtatrabaho,” Roque added.
Nevertheless, according to Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas, Roque’s statement was downright insensitive and offensive.
“Para sa Malacañang, ang isang taong pandemya ay isang bakasyon lamang habang para sa mahihirap, ito ay isang walang hanggang bangungot dulot ng kawalan ng ayuda at kabuhayan,” Brosas said in the statement.
Meanwhile, many netizens have considered Roque the one vacationing as he promotes famous local tourist spots in the country during his out-of-town briefings. However, the spokesperson considers it not as leisure as he vows that it’s his advocacy to help the tourism sector of the country.