(Eagle News)–President Rodrigo Duterte hit back at Vice President Leni Robredo over her criticisms of government’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis, saying she should not “add fuel to the fire.”
“Itong sinasabi ni Leni na kung hindi gawin ng gobyerno, gagawin ng tao… panahon ito ng pandemic, desperado ang tao… dadagdag kayo, wala naman kayo basehan,” the President said in a public address aired on Tuesday, Aug. 25.
According to the President, “wag ninyong sisirain ang gobyerno kasi masisira ang tao.”
“Pag nasisira ang gobyerno, lulutang tayong lahat. Maski na sabihin ninyo mamatay ako bukas, it cannot solve the problem of the country,” he said.
On Monday night, Robredo accused the administration of having no clear direction in its response to the COVID-19 crisis.
She also raised the issue of confidence, which she said was important during a pandemic.
“How can there be confidence when we are unsure of where funds are going? How can there be confidence when every time the leadership holds a press conference, clarity is in short supply,” she had said.
In her video, she also gave her own recommendations on how she said the government should address poverty and unemployment, among others.