PHILIPPINE College of Physicians president Dr. Maricar Limpin on Friday, September 10, 2021, said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr.’s outburst during a virtual meeting of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases was “unacceptable” and “uncalled for.”
Limpin, who had attended the meeting on Tuesday, September 8, and appealed for the implementation of strict quarantine restrictions in surge areas, said she was surprised by Roque’s reaction. The other IATF officials tried to calm him down, but Roque continued throwing a fit.
“I was very surprised that that was his reaction kasi parang wala naman akong sinabi na (because I did not say anything) that can be interpreted as being arrogant because all that I am stating are facts,” Limpin said in a radio interview.
“Parang hindi ko makita ang pinanggagalingan ng galit n’ya (I don’t know what triggered his anger). Ang intention ko (My intention) is really to alleviate the healthcare system. I cannot understand really what brought up the reaction and parang sa akin (for me), it’s an uncalled for remark,” she added.
She said it didn’t seem right for a government official to berate the healthcare workers, who serve as frontline soldiers and are risking their lives in the battle against Covid.
Limpin said she will write to the Department of Health (DOH) to express dismay over Roque’s “unacceptable” outburst.
Limpin and Health Professionals Alliance Against Covid-19 (HPAAC) convenor Dr. Antonio Dans presented during the said meeting the state of the healthcare system in the country amid the surge in cases.
In some areas in Metro Manila and neighboring provinces, Limpin said the hospitals are already overwhelmed, the medical workers are exhausted, and sick people are having difficulty finding a hospital bed.
The IATF meeting was held on the eve of the supposed shift to GCQ on September 8 from modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) in Metro Manila.
Shortly after the meeting, Roque announced that the shift to GCQ and the implementation of a new system of granular lockdowns with alert levels had been put on hold. Metro Manila remains under MECQ until September 15.
Limpin said she had urged the IATF to defer the relaxation of quarantine restrictions in Metro Manila and instead strictly impose a real ECQ.
The decision did not sit well with several local government units (LGUs) and businessmen.
In a separate interview, Dans said they made their presentation “calmly” and begged the IATF to listen to them.
Dans said they reiterated during the meeting that apart from monitoring occupancy in intensive care units and Covid-19 wards, the DOH should also take note of the occupancy in the emergency rooms of hospitals.
He said the call for the government to defer the implementation of GCQ in Metro Manila came from the personnel in the emergency rooms. They are the ones who initially provide care to Covid-19 patients.
“’Yung emergency department d’yan nagdadagsaan ang pasyente...Unang umaapaw talaga ang emergency department,” he said.
“Sila ‘yung nakakakita na nandiyan na sa corridor sa parking lot namamatay... ‘Yung emotional at psychological trauma. Sila talaga ang frontliner,” he added.
Roque on Friday, September 10, apologized for his outburst. (Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo / SunStar Philippines)