Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque clarified his recent statement on President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s decision to cancel three public holidays for economic recovery.
According to Sec. Roque, the economy must recover and what he meant in his statement was that the holidays must be reduced in order for the working sector to be more productive.
“Hindi naman po talaga bakasyon ‘yan, kung hindi, hindi nakapagtatrabaho. Kaya ngayon na pwede na po tayong makapagtrabaho sana dahil nagbubukas na tayo ng ekonomiya, hayaan naman nating kumita at makapagtrabaho ang ating mga kababayan (That is not really a vacation, but they could not work. So now that we can work since the economy is opening, we should let our countrymen earn [from their] livelihoods).”
In his press briefing Tuesday, Pres. Spox. Roque claimed that the Philippines is on “a year-long vacation due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)” and that the country must recover for “lost time” now that the vaccine against the virus has arrived.
“Napakatagal na nating nakabakasyon. Halos isang taon na tayo nagbakasyon dahil sa COVID-19. Siguro naman ngayong nandito na ang bakuna hayaan naman nating maka-recover tayo for lost time (We have been on vacation for so long. We have been on vacation for almost a year due to COVID-19. Now that the vaccine is here, we should let [the country] recover for lost time).” Report from Mela Lesmoras
