MORE than two weeks into the national emergency that has put most of the country under lockdown and completely paralyzed the economy, what we should have heard in President Rodrigo Duterte’s late-night address on Monday was a clear statement that the government fully understands the breadth of the crisis and, if it does not have all the solutions yet, at least has organized itself to properly assess and manage the various issues. What we got instead was a clear statement that the government is operating with no sense of urgency, virtually no coordination, and an appalling knowledge deficit.

The warning signs were there even before Duterte opened his mouth. The Palace announced in the early afternoon of Monday that his address was “tentatively” scheduled for 4 p.m. 4 p.m. came and went with no further update, and none was offered until just a few moments before the president finally appeared at about 11:35 pm. Duterte’s cantankerous hours are supposed to be just another endearing quirk of his authentic, regular-guy charm, but what they really are is unprofessional, and send the message that the president — upon whose words life-and-death decisions will be made — is thoroughly unconcerned with the crisis.

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