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| bianca gonzalez |
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| jason abalos |
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| atom araullo |
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| kuya kim atienza |
IT MUST BE quite a nightmare for the people around Pres. Duterte how to do damage control to repair whatever destruction he does to his own reputation as the country’s chief executive.
When he declared that people can use gasoline as disinfectant for face masks, his defenders, led by spokesman Harry Roque (who’s looking more and more like a buffoon) said that he is just joking.
Roque even said: “Kayo naman, apat na taon na si president, hindi nyo pa rin kilala. Joke only. Bakit naman tayo maghuhugas ng gasolina?”
But in his SONA, Duterte said he is not at all joking: “Sabi nila, ‘Itong si Duterte luko-luko.’ Gago. Kung luko-luko ako, ikaw na sana ang naging presidente. Totoo ‘yang sinabi ko, alcohol. Pag walang alcohol available, punta ka lang diyan sa gasoline station, pagkatapos magpatulo ng...” then he demonstrated pouring gasoline on his own hands.
“That’s disinfectant. Alcohol. Gaas. Yung ginagamit niyong gas pang-ano… magpatulo ka lang ng ano, just to disinfect. Para sa inyo ang hindi nakakaintindi, sa totoo lang, hindi ako nagbibiro, totohanan yun. Ang akala niyo, nagbibiro lang ako. Pero sa totoo, hindi ako nagbibiro. Anything that would kill the germs actually.”
So many celebrities quickly reacted to his foolish suggestion.
One of the first to react is Jason Abalos, who earlier said he’s disappointed voting for Duterte and his “panggagago” after a doctor friend of his died of the virus.
He expressed his frustation by showing emojis slapping their own faces to express embarrassment over the ineptitude of a person. He then retweeted what Duterte said and added: “Seryoso po ang ating mahal na pangulo.”
Kuya Kim Atienza declared: “Gasoline is rich in lead which will cause lead poisoning that can be lethal in time.”
Nikki Valdez wrote: “Wala na talaga ito.” It means she considers the president as someone who has already lost all his senses.
And this is from GMA-7 broadcaster Atom Araullo:
“On PRRD’s advice to use kerosene or ‘gaas’ as a disinfectant, this is irritating to the eyes and skin, may cause dermatitis with chronic exposure, inhalation may cause respiratory irritation, acute exposure may result in central nervous system effects including coma and death. It’s needless to say that you don't use kerosene or gasoline to disinfect your face masks."
Jim Paredes quoted Duterte then added: “Buang na talaga ito.”
Gretchen Ho’s reaction: “Please DO NOT ingest gasoline or any kind of disinfectant.” She cited instances in the USA where accidental poisonings happened after their own Pres. Trump said in April that you can inject yourself with disinfectant to kill the virus.
Bianca Gonzales, in turn, quoted the ICP or Integrated Chemists of the Philippines: “HINDI maaring gamitin ang gasoline upang ipanlinis. Gasoline MUST NOT be used as a disinfectant.”
Former Presidential Spokesperson Atty. Edwin Lacierda said: “To our friends who intend to use gasoline as a disinfectant, please don’t. And if you don’t intend to use gasoline, then please don’t ask me further if unleaded is better than premium. Hindi nga ho pwede. Huwag mo.”
A UP group of Chemistry Majors wrote:
“Gasoline is for cars. Not for your hands. Several groups and experts have warned the public against this measure because its a toxic substance that poses harmful effects to a person’s body. The US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) does not include gasoline as recommended disinfectants against COVID-19 and is actually tagged as a toxic substance by the US Center for Disease Control.
"We call upon our public officials to be more careful about what they advise the people to do, to consult scientific facts and experts in order to avoid the spread of misinformation and falsehoods.”
Award-winning director, Dan Villegas, made fun of the DDS supporters who always defend Duterte: “Tahimik ang trolls sa gasoline issue ha.” Maybe the DDS trolls are now singing: “How do you solve a problem like Duterte?”
