THREAD: President Rodrigo Duterte addresses the nation. | Watch here: https://bit.ly/3hvxPoe 

Duterte: Ang COVID is still around. The reason why there is less ratio and proportion between other countries. Mababa talaga tayo.

Duterte: We did not join government to lie.

Duterte: Wag kayo sana maniwala sa dilawan at oposisiyon na hampas dito at hampos doon sa mga pinagsasabi.

Duterte: For as long as the virus lives in this planet, we are put in real danger.

Duterte: Yung kinakausap ko lang yung mga ka-level ko, sila lang ang nakakaintindi ng rason.

Duterte: I said by December, there will be some, I think trials.

Duterte: If the vaccine of Russia and China are equally good and effective just like any other vaccine invented by any country, I will buy first.

Duterte on COVID-19 vaccine: I hope that the Chinese and Russian government, when we buy, we will go into bidding.

Duterte: The one good thing about China is you don't have to beg, you do not have to plead. Unlike other countries, they want cash advance bago tayo deliverahan ng vaccine.

Duterte: Kung wala tayong ibigay na cash advance, eh di walang vaccine.

Duterte: We will give preference to China and Russia, provided that their vaccine is as good as any vaccine in the market.

Duterte: One thing wrong about Western countries is it all about profit.

Duterte: The procurement law of the Philippines does not allow you to buy something which is not existent or yet to be produced.

Duterte: At the end of the day, they want you to finance the research and the perfection of the vaccine.

Duterte: In some provinces, there is a fast recovery rate. Others are lagging behind because of the prior infections na hindi na-detect.

Duterte: Everybody will remember someday that there was a great pandemic that passed in our lives and we were able to make it because of a lot of mutual help.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año says 357 administrative cases have already been investigated against barangay officials involved in alleged social amelioration program anomalies.

DILG Sec. Año says that 89 barangay captain were charged with preventive suspension for six months last week.

DILG Sec. Año thanks President Duterte for signing the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act into law, where ₱5-billion are allocated to hire 50,000 contact tracers to aid the country's COVID-19 efforts.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana says around 400 Filipinos from Sabah, Malaysia will arrive back in the country this week.

Duterte: There are so many places around the world, where Filipinos are working, some are still in the limbo. Hindi nila alam kung saan sila pupunta.

Duterte orders foreign attaches to validate Filipinos who are stranded in ships in their assigned countries of responsibility.

Duterte on stranded Filipino workers in ships: Tinaboy sila. They are floating without knowing what will happen tomorrow.

Duterte directs the DFA and personnel from different embassies to check if there are any Filipinos seafarers stranded in the waters in their areas of responsibility and help them.

Duterte: Nakakaawa naman ito. It pains me to realize that nandito ako and I cannot help Filipinos who are struggling even just to exist.

Duterte: A human being should never be a commodity that is left behind to rot.

Duterte: We are trying our best to appeal to the humanitarian sense of the Malaysian government to please help our citizens in your country, as we would do for your citizens if they are in our country.

NTF COVID-19 Chief Implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. says there are 79 hotels with around 7,114 beds that can accommodate those who will undergo quarantine

NTF COVID-19 Chief Implementer Galvez says 1,006 additional COVID-19 dedicated hospital beds will be available by November 2020.

NTF COVID-19 Chief Implementer Galvez adds the gov't will construct more beds for COVID-19 patients in Rizal Medical Center in Pasig, Philippine General Hospital, and Batangas Medical Center.

NTF COVID-19 Chief Implementer Galvez says facilities for non COVID-19 patients are also being prepared.

NTF COVID-19 Chief Implementer Galvez calls for the modernization of healthcare system in the country.

NTF COVID-19 Chief Implementer Galvez: It's high time na i-modernize po natin ang DOH...We need to modernize our special hospitals.

Duterte: If you are riding in a bus, in an aircon or open, ang shield will only protect you from direct hit.

Duterte: Itong face shield na ito, I think it is a fallacy to say that it will protect you in any environment.

Presidential Spokesperson Roque points out that while there are medical experts who raised concerns regarding the reduced physical distancing rule, there are groups that argue that wearing of face masks & face shields is enough to prevent viral transmission in public transport.

NTF COVID-19 Chief Implementer Galvez: I believe this is a matter of risk management. If we reduce the one-meter distance to 0.75, may gagawin tayong risk mitigation, one of those is proper ventilation.

NTF COVID-19 Chief Implementer Galvez says that as long as passengers will not remove their masks, will avoid talking and eating, risk of transmission of the virus will be low.

DILG Sec. Año says they will listen to the arguments and discussions to be made by health professions to come up with the best recommendation.

Duterte says that the report by the DOJ-led Task Force PhilHealth stated that certain PhilHealth officials committed "wrongful acts."

Duterte: On the issue of PhilHealth and corruption, it is really an important issue to the Filipinos and to everybody. Everybody is again is placed in jeopardy by the action of the officials. I'm sorry for them, but they have to undergo trial. (1/2)

Duterte: Although they can always prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt. (2/2)

Duterte: The presumption of innocence still attaches. But the report of another agencies, say so otherwise.