MANILA, Philippines — Former top cop and now Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa backed President Rodrigo Duterte’s plan to tap state forces to enforce quarantine rules, saying that they are “well-organized” and “better equipped” to do so. “All other [governments] in the world are relying on their police and military in enforcing quarantine protocols because they are well-organized, better equipped, and quickly deployable,” Dela Rosa said in a message to reporters when sought for comment. Duterte has previously said that he would task the military with distributing a coronavirus vaccine to avoid possible issues of corruption. Dela Rosa, an ally of Duterte in the Senate, defended the government’s COVID-19 response. If they have better ideas, then please present it to the [government],” the senator said.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer August 11, 2020 02:26 UTC