Harry Roque drags VP Robredo into issue

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte's spokesman on Tuesday reprimanded 2 media outlets for reporting the breach of pandemic protocols in an event that he attended, and at the same time dragged Vice President Leni Robredo into the issue.

Viral photos from the event in Cebu showed that although a large crowd was wearing anti-virus masks, they were seated or standing close together, as they listened to a speech by Roque and other officials.

• Roque on appearing at crowded event: ‘General compliance’ of COVID protocols was met

Roque said the crowd was 'overtly excited' and that the event was held in open air. He said he chided his audience for failing to avoid crowded events.

In a slideshow, he then flashed photos from Robredo's visit of typhoon-hit areas, where she could be seen shaking the hands of residents.

Among the media media orgs that reported it, Roque took exception only to the reports of ABS-CBN and Inquirer.

"Ang kinakasama ko ng loob, bakit ako ang pinupuruhan palagi ng Inquirer and ng ABS-CBN?" he said in a press briefing. "Bakit noong nakikita n'yo sa screen si VP Leni, nakipag-handshake handshake pa, hindi ba violation ito ng restriction on social distancing?"

"Ang tanong ko naman sa mga media na kasama natin, patas sana," he added.

(I am offended because why am I being singled out by Inquirer and ABS-CBN? VP Leni even shook hands with people, isn't that a violation of the restriction on social distancing? I hope the media could be fair.)

Video courtesy of PTV

ABS-CBN had also released online the photos of Robredo that he mentioned, and had reported the alleged lockdown violations of other government officials, like Senator Aquilino Pimentel III and national police chief Gen. Debold Sinas.

Robredo's spokesman, Barry Gutierrez, said government officials should know when to be accountable.

"I look forward to the day when officials in this administration can just be accountable, accept responsibility, and commit to doing better, instead of bashing the VP every time the Filipino public call out their shortcomings. But I'm not holding my breath. Nagpa mananita ka sa beach tapos si VP pa rin ang ituturo mo? Wow lang," he said.

ABS-CBN Digital asked for Roque's statement on Friday, the same day of the Cebu event. He only gave a statement to the Malacañang Press Corps on Saturday.

The inter-agency task force leading the country's pandemic response is probing Roque's event.

"There's going to be an investigation, well and good, para makita na pinaalalahanan ko pa yung mga tao na mag-iwas," said Roque.

"Siguro ang hindi ko na-realize, I've come to a point na talagang mga tao, lalabas para makita ako. Siguro po hindi na ako lalabas pag may mga crowd," he said.

(There's going to be an investigation, well and good, so that it can be seen that I reminded the people to avoid gatherings. Perhaps, what I did not realize is that I've come to a point where people would go out to see me. Maybe I will no longer go out when there are crowds.)

Earlier this month, Roque also made headlines for a bar singing session, while vast swaths of Luzon were wrestling with typhoon Ulysses. The health department earlier discouraged Christmas caroling as loud singing might spur the spread of COVID-19.