MANILA, Philippines — Other countries have also experienced a surge in COVID-19 cases and are under lockdown, President Rodrigo Duterte said in a pre-recorded briefing that aired Monday night as he swept aside criticisms that the government failed to control the pandemic situation.
“Did the government fail? Did the government do nothing?” he said in Filipino. “You know, in truth, the countries of Ukraine, France, Germany, Poland, Italy are under lockdown now.”
“Seventy-five percent of Italy has entered a new lockdown in a bid to fight the rising rates of coronavirus. It’s not just us,” he added.
In the same briefing, Duterte announced the imposition of stricter communi…
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