Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque apologized to those who were offended after photos of him taking a dip with the dolphins hit social media despite a Metro Manila-wide quarantine which prohibits non-essential travel.
Duterte’s mouthpiece said he did not violate any quarantine protocol or guidelines laid down by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases when he visited the Ocean Adventure in Subic Bay amid coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), saying the province is under Modified general community quarantine which allows some tourist spots and leisure parks to open.
“I am the only one there when I took a dip with the dolphins. No other persons or visitors were there during that time,” Roque said in a television interview.
He also said that as an APOR (Authorized Person Outside of Residence), “I can travel within and across areas under any form of community quarantine in order to do my duty as a government official.”
“I am from the area, looking after my business which I had before I joined government service, something I could not do when Bataan was still on lockdown,” he said.
The photos posted on social media were already taken down, but some netizens criticized Roque.
However, the Palace spokesman insisted that he did not violate any rules, adding if anybody felt offended by his visit during the pandemic, he is sorry.
Roque explained that he passed by the theme park on his way to his farm in Bataan.
