Key points on President Rodrigo Duterte’s public address

• PRRD addressed the problem, reiterates that the country is still fighting against COVID-19: We are fighting a deadly enemy. Ang COVID virus is still around.

• PRRD: I cannot be complacent... by December I think there will be trials. “If the vaccine of Russia and China are equally good and effective just like any other vaccine invented by any country, I will buy first,” he added.

• Duterte on COVID-19 vaccine: I hope that the Chinese and Russian government, when we buy, we will go into bidding.

• Duterte stated that the good thing about China is that the Philippines don’t have to beg and plead. “Unlike other countries, they want cash advance bago tayo deliverahan ng vaccine,” he explained.

• PRRD exclaimed he won't pay reservation fee to companies that have yet to develop a vaccine, stating that it is against the procurement law: "You must be crazy. Bakit ako bibili ng ganung style?"

• PRRD asks DOH Secretary to increase dedicated beds for COVID-19 patients. “Ito sanang appeal to private hospitals to increase beds dedicated to COVID-19 patients, madagdagan sana ninyo,” he asks.

• DILG Secretary Año reports that 357 cases against 416 barangay officials tagged in aid distribution anomalies are now being investigated.

• PRRD directs Department of Foreign Affairs’ commercial attachés and police attachés to “go around” and check if overseas Filipinos in their areas of responsibility were stranded.

• NTF COVID-19 Chief Implementer Carlito Galvez reports that a total of 79 hotels, with more than 7,000 hospital beds, will be used as isolation areas for around 20,000 COVID-19 patients in the country.

• NTF COVID-19 Chief Implementer Galvez adds the government will construct more beds for COVID-19 patients in Rizal Medical Center in Pasig, Philippine General Hospital, and Batangas Medical Center.

• Galvez: It's high time na i-modernize po natin ang DOH. We need to modernize our special hospitals.

• On the DOTr’s decision to reduce physical distancing on public transportation, Presidential Spox. Roque said: Dalawa ang pag-aaral. May modeling, sinasabi na delikado, may pag-aaral transport sector, with mask and face shield minimum lang.

• Galvez said that the issue (on the reduced physical distanding on public transpos) is a matter of risk management. “Sa lahat ng ginagawa natin ay may risk. If we reduce this to .75, may gagawin naman tayong risk mitigation. One of that is proper ventilation — meaning dapat nagcicirculate ‘yung hangin,” he explained.

• NTF COVID-19 Chief Implementer Galvez says that as long as passengers will not remove their masks, will avoid talking and eating, risk of transmission of the virus [inside a public transportation] will be low.

• DILG Secretary Año says he believes that it would be too risky if distance will be reduced to .3 meters.

• Pres’l Spox. Roque says Duterte "approved the recommendations of the Taskforce on PhilHealth. Amongst those who will be charged criminally and administratively are: Ex-President Morales, SVP Aragona, OIC Gabuya, SVP Limsiaco, SVP Pargas, COO De Jesus, Crisostomo, etc”