The fault is ultimately with the President

THE urge to write something positive and inspiring about President Rodrigo Duterte is strong, after weeks of being so overly critical of him. But it is difficult, particularly when one is confronted with the series of missteps that he, his officials and his government have made recently.

It is also uncomfortable to venture into the blame game. Unfortunately, rooting out the problem becomes imperative particularly if the guilty does not even reflect on the mistakes, apologize for these and try harder to do better. Thus, it becomes necessary to point our fingers in the direction of the President, if only to remind him that he, in the end, will have to bear the burden of responsibility for the mess that we are in now as we engage in a battle with the coronavirus disease 2019 or Covid-19.