It’s disingenuous to compare and rank the crisis response employed by countries. Approach in testing & outcomes can never be comparable bcoz healthcare capacities—medical infra & technology, skilled personnel, domestic laws— & financial resources vary fr one country to another. + https://twitter.com/momblogger/status/1250211651460009984

One cannot be acclaimed as a model country in the COVID19 fight. VNM,SK, TWN models cannot employed to other countries when you consider, values, culture, population, demographics, domestic laws, healthcare system, financial capability, form of govt and style of governance.

Results and outcomes for each country are a culmination of many facets that make up a country that one recalibrates as it moves along, takes advantage of to address developments to ensure they will come back favourable to you and your constituents. You make do of what you got.

Experiences with past outbreaks also gave some countries a head start in terms of planning and preparation and may have made them more aggressive in responding to COVID-19 and possibly made their constituents more willing to accept intrusive measures to contain the virus.

In the final analysis, PH’s response followed WHO and local scientists, experts’ recommendations. PH’s plan evolves day to day adjusting to the developments & latest info on the virus to meet the needs of its people while putting in place safeguards to protect its economy.

While it is premature to commend Duterte, his cunning ability to use strategies underpinned by his strong instinct based on decades of leadership confronting crises in various capacities made a difference.

Despite PH’s handicap, he managed the risks posed by COVID-19 using the most economical but arguably most effective measures to protect his constituents and mitigate what could have been a disastrous outcome if the disease were allowed to wreak havoc in a densely populated NCR.

And that is his timely and calibrated lockdown or ECQ—demanding people to stay home and practice physical distancing, suspending public transport, banning incoming and outgoing domestic flights—that dramatically restricted movements and contacts and minimized contagion.

Duterte is a strategist, a tactician. And he has sharp instincts, gut feeling and commonsensical ability to address uncharted territory. This only comes from solid leadership honed from exemplary career in public service.

No person could have handled this crisis better.