De Lima: Filipinos don't need a 'man full of himself' amid health crisis

Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has criticized Mr. Duterte's recent public address on health crisis, which only highlighted his administration's failure in properly addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.

De Lima, a social justice and human rights champion, said there is "nothing new" and "nothing useful" in Duterte's recent public address.

"The same with his previous addresses, the recent one is prerecorded and runs like a broken record. Mr. Duterte's TV addresses have been an exercise in futility, for each address is not developing into anything close to a sensible recovery plan," she said in her Dispatch from Crame 911.

"Paulit-ulit na lang na tuwing lalabas siya sa TV ay parang panibagong episode lang ng pagkalungo sa Fetanyl at walang dalang konsolidadong datos at plano para iulat sa publiko," she added.

Last Sept. 14, without laying out concrete plans, Duterte said that he would prioritize buying COVID-19 vaccine to be made available by Russia or China. He, however, singled out China as supposedly unlike other countries seeking "reservation fee" or advance payment for the vaccine.

"Parating pagbuntot lang sa China at paghihintay ng bakunang 'made in China' ang sinasabi. Na para bang ang tanging mensahe ni Duterte: matira na lang ang matibay sa gutom at sakit sa ating mga Pilipino habang hinihintay ang pagsalba sa atin ng China," she said.

In the same speech, Duterte took a swipe at the opposition, whom he called "dilawans" or "yellows", by urging the public not to believe criticisms thrown by them about the government's COVID-19 response or lack thereof.

Likewise, De Lima maintained that the exigencies of the present crisis "need a woman of action, and not a man full of himself and his outlandish talk, and who is an inveterate liar and traitor."

"We now need a leader who can pilot us through this turbulence, and not one whose touchdown maneuver will be to crash the Philippine economy to deeper recession, or to land our national interests at the very doorstep of China," she said.

"Can anyone from his sycophants please advise Mr. Duterte to straighten out first his gibberish and to make sense of his dead-horse vaccine and slap-the-virus rubbish before he takes a swipe at the opposition and becomes an advocate of reason," she added.