MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos should be ashamed for showing a lack of discipline and for violating the guidelines of the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine.

Returning presidential spokesman Harry Roque said this Thursday after the Philippines topped other Southeast Asian countries in terms of confirmed COVID-19 cases despite the lockdown of Luzon.

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“Ang dami pong pasaway sa atin. At dahil po diyan number one na naman po tayo sa Asean sa dami ng COVID-19. Nakakahiya po yan!” Roque said in a virtual press briefing.

“Itigil niyo na po ang pagiging pasaway, manatili po kayo sa inyong tahanan,” he added

As of Wednesday, data shows the Philippines has the most number of COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia (SEA) with 5,453 confirmed cases, including 349 deaths and 353 recoveries. The Philippines is followed by Indonesia with 5,136 while Malaysia ranked 3rd with 5,072.

President Duterte placed the entire Luzon, home to about half the country’s total population, under a month-long enhanced community quarantine to curtail the further spread of COVID-19. The quarantine was extended until April 30.

Roque also pointed out that only the Philippines has recorded traffic congestion in some areas despite a lockdown.

“Kung ikukumpara po ninyo ang ECQ sa ibang bansa, sa Singapore lahat sumusunod. Sa Malaysia ganyan din. Dito lang sa Pilipinas nagkaroon ng traffic sa SLEx at sa Divisoria despite ECQ,” Roque said.

“Mahiya naman po tayo. Hindi ko na po i-dedeny ‘yan dahil dapat tayong mga Pilipino mahiya dahil nagpapakita tayo ng kawalang disiplina e samantalang ginagawa naman po natin to dahil iniiwasan nating magkasakit ang ating mga kababayan.”

The Palace official then called on mothers to start enforcing the quarantine in their households.

“Mabuti po ‘yan kapag inyong inenforce ang ECQ hindi makakapunta si mister sa kanyang kulasisi. So para niyo nang awa po, stay in your homes,” Roque joked.

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Meanwhile, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, spokesman of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) handling the government’s response to the COVID-19 crisis, said Filipinos should not be alarmed by the development as it is not a competition but a race for detection and containment.

“Hindi naman ito contest among ASEAN nations. Hindi naman ito contest na pakauntian ng number,” he said.

/MUF

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