Palace spokesperson Harry Roque, who announced he tested positive for the coronavirus, admitted he regrets not getting inoculated against COVID-19 during the initial vaccine rollout.

“Nagsisisi nga ako na hindi ako nagpabakuna noong panahon na sa PGH kasi kung hindi siguro naubusan at napabakunahan ako sa PGH, siguro hindi na ako nadapuan ngayon [ng COVID-19],” he said in a Palace briefing.

“It was really, I think, sad na hindi ako nakapagpabakuna (that I wasn’t vaccinated) but we also have to follow protocols na unahin muna ‘yung mga (to prioritize) medical frontliners,” he said.

“So ang aking pakiusap doon sa mga medical frontliners, kung mayroon pa ho, kunin niyo na ‘yan. Nandyan na ho ang bakuna, kunin ninyo na ho kaysa ma-include kayo sa datos gaya ko,” Roque added.

The recent surge in COVID-19 cases in the country can be traced to the detection of new COVID variants that are more contagious, which is why the government reminds the public to strictly observe the minimum health protocols.

Palace Spokesman Harry Roque, who tested positive for Covid-19, said he had no direct contact with President Rodrigo Duterte in Dumaguete City last week.

Roque stressed that the national government continues to delicately balance the need to safeguard the health and safety of the people and the need to reopen the economy. “We all want to be healthy because unless we are healthy we cannot work but the reality po talaga is there are now more people hungry because of total lockdowns than compared to those na nagkakasakit ng severe,” Roque said.