The last thing that our overworked yet underpaid health care workers need to hear is a presidential spokesperson and senatorial aspirant shouting them down for the government’s own shortcomings.
“This group, they have never said anything good about the government response,” Palace Spokesman Harry Roque said while lashing out at the Philippine College of Physicians represented by their president Dr. Maricar Limpin.
But what good is left to say about a government whose pandemic response is more concerned about political gains than saving lives?
With over 500 days under lockdown, we all know that more than anything, what Roque has been saying in conferences are mostly a barrage of lies, unwarranted congratulatory remarks, and self-praise. But to lambast our health workers, who are tirelessly shouldering the country’s pandemic response, is arguably one of the worst and most shameless acts so far from the disgraced human rights lawyer.
They are the very same health workers that President Duterte lauded on National Heroes Day and whom he promised to dedicate a memorial wall instead of giving them their long-overdue benefits and allowances.
The very same health workers that treated him more than twice after being infected with COVID-19 despite him jumping lines to get a Philippine General Hospital hospital bed at the expense of the less fortunate and patients with far worse conditions, and allegedly violating health protocols numerous times.
The very same health workers are now asking Roque, Francisco Duque III, and the rest of the Cabinet who do not show any care for them and the Filipino people to immediately resign.
“Siguro panahon na rin magsabay-sabay na po mag-resign ‘yung mga Cabinet member na hindi po talaga kaaya-aya sa mga mamamayang Pilipino,” Alliance of Health Workers president Robert Mendoza said in an interview with ABS-CBN News.
Although he claims that he was just “giving voice to those who have nothing to eat,” there is no denying that since 2016, Roque has been a voice only for the power-hungry politicians such as his master, President Rodrigo Duterte.
Rather than a half-assed apology or a lame excuse, what Roque, along with the other accomplices of his master in Malacañang, owes the health workers and the rest of the Filipino masses are their resignations and well-deserved jail time.
Featured image courtesy of Rappler.
