TRICIAH TERADA/CNN PHILS: Sir, I understand the term now that we are using is expanded targeted testing or that the direction that were moving towards to.
Pero, sir since iyon nga po iyong statement yesterday, many reacted in the negative, noong sinabi pong iiwan iyong testing doon sa private sectors at least doon po iyon sa anti—-iyong sa rapid test po. Pero, sir the question now is: Bakit po hindi magawa iyong mass testing?
I understand there is global shortage but many people are asking, bakit po iyong ibang mga bansa, despite the global shortage, nagagawa po nilang magkaroon ng mass testing na nate-test even the asymptomatic patients po. Is it a problem of budget, the laws or (unclear)?
SEC. ROQUE: Mali kasi iyong term na ginamit mo kaya tuloy nagkagulo sa twitter. Kaya nga po ang pakiusap ko sa ating mga kasama sa media, ingat lang po sa reporting. Kasi ang lumalabas, Trish, sa report mo ay wala tayong expanded testing program.
Wala tayong kahit anong programa sa gobyerno, na hindi naman totoo. Iyong reaksiyon ng tao sa twitter, ganyan po ang reaksiyon kapag hindi tayo nag-ingat sa reporting. And although I have to say na ikaw lang naman ang naglabas ng report na ganyan. I have to say it and get it out of my system.
So, anyway, hindi po mass testing ang ginagawa natin, it is expanded targeted testing at wala naman pong bansa sa mundo na lahat ng kanilang mamamayan ay tine-test. Kahapon siguro nagulo ka, kasi sinabi ko iyong ginagawa nila sa Wuhan, dahil sa second wave ay gusto nilang i-test iyong 11 million residents of Wuhan. Pero sa Wuhan lang po iyon, hindi nila kakayanin testing ang lahat ng mga Tsino dahil bilyon nga po ang kanilang population.
So, nalulungkot ako Trish na bagama’t dalawang beses na nag-guest sa atin si Secretary Vince Dizon, eh ang lumabas pa sa report mo wala tayong polisiya para sa expanded testing. Mayroon po kaya nga po inulit ko po muli at uulitin ko po muli kung gusto.
Pero ang kasagutan po sa tanong ninyo, mayroon po tayong expanded targeted testing, siyempre po sa simula mahina po iyan, bago po kasi itong sakit na ito. Bago iyong mga teknolohiya, mga laboratories na ginagamit para i-testing sa sakit na ito. Yes, kakaunti tayo nagsimula, pero we are aiming now for 30,000.
Maling-mali po iyong report mo na wala pong kahit anong priority na binibigay ang gobyerno sa testing. Kaya nga po si Vince Dizon, ang titulo niya Deputy Implementer at saka Hepe po ng T3 – Test, Trace and Treat.
I hope I have made myself very clear and if you need further instruction or education on the country’s testing program, please approach me. Pero sa panahon ng pandemya nakikita po natin kung ano ang reaksiyon sa mga hindi tamang mga reports, Trish. Sorry to say so.
TRICIAH TERADA/CNN PHILS: Sir, I have to correct that with your indulgence—
SEC. ROQUE: Well, you don’t have to correct it if you don’t want to. Pero you are not doing the entire nation a service for doing that ‘no.
TRICIAH TERADA/CNN PHILS: [garbled]
SEC. ROQUE: I think you also have to rectify your report, kasi it’s really caused public uproar ‘no at mali naman po kasi nga po, this has become a public-private partnership. It’s not because of lack of funds, it’s because everyone gives priority to testing.
Kasi iyan nga lang po ang ating paraan para malaman kung saan ang ating kalaban. But again, I have to say it, I cannot do my job without—sabi ng lahat, huwag ko na raw pansinin, Trish, hindi, I have to call you out.
Kita mo naman ang naging resulta ng inyong reporting at ikaw lang ang nag-report na ganyan, buti sana kung lahat ng Malacañang Press Corps nag-report ng ganyan I would say ako ang nagkamali. Pero you took my statements out of context, nag-panic ang publiko. Sa panahon ng pandemic, you have to be responsible for what you report.
Next question, please.
Interview With Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque By Karen Davila – Headstart/Anc May 20, 2020
DAVILA: Okay. Now Secretary, CNN stands by their reporter Triciah Terada and NUJP is saying that you owe an apology to the CNN reporter for scolding her during a live broadcast for what you claimed was an inaccurate report. They say that she wasn’t able to give her side, another is you’ve scolded her for something that she didn’t write herself.
I’m curious Secretary, have you thought of this and was that necessary to scold a journalist during a live broadcast considering that they were essentially getting it from your own quote?
SEC. ROQUE: Well I think it is very clear, it was a wrong quote. It was a misquote because the context that the mass testing had to do with the Wuhan-type testing, was omitted.
Now let me see, let me make it clear ‘no – CNN has since corrected the story, so there was really a mistake. Iyong sa akin naman if there’s a mistake, if you acknowledges a mistake, I don’t even demand an apology, just correct it because we’re all in the business of the truth – that to me is enough.
Now—well whatever it is that I owe Trish, I’ve talked to Trish and whatever it is that I should do, I’ve done it. Okay? But the point is Trish is the CNN reporter in Malacañang. Whoever wrote the article, and there was no byline, that’s the problem ‘no, why is it that some news agencies do not have bylines for the stories para we know who wrote it ‘no?
In this case there was really an error that they have corrected, but we also need to know who that person was, because I think as a professional ‘no – the journalist, who made the error should be identified ‘no because it will affect the reputation ‘no.
It turns out that it was not Trish who wrote the article, and I think personally, I have sent a message to Trish but I also feel that as the Malacañang reporter, she should have corrected the story of her news outfit particularly because it’s her beat.
Alam mo sa ABS-CBN marami na akong naging ganiyang instance but I didn’t have to do anything because the reporter of ABS-CBN would call the attention of ABS-CBN online. And I can think of 3 instances already when it happened ‘no because that’s also part of their responsibility as Malacañang beat reporters.
DAVILA: Okay. Now moving on forward and the only reason I’d like to move forward is you’ve already said that you’ve spoken to the CNN reporter – you’ve spoken to Trish so clearly you are not going to respond to NUJP’s demand that you owe her an apology – because I think NUJP means public apology.
SEC. ROQUE: I don’t owe anything to NUJP. I have done work for NUJP, they probably owe me, but I don’t owe them.