The drunk Korean man, who passed out on a sidewalk in Manila, was given adequate care and attention, Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso said.
Domagoso made the statement in response to Filipinos online who accused local officials of refusing to help the foreigner amid the 2019 coronavirus scare.
“It is only right for you not to go near persons who collapsed on the streets because you are not specialists,” he told reporters on Monday.
The local chief executive also said that the man’s drunkenness should not be a problem of the city government.
“One person’s vice should not be the government’s problem. He should handle himself. It’s a good thing he was not jailed for that,” he added.
Photos and videos of the Korean man passing out on the street on Taft Avenue corner Remedios Street went viral on Facebook on Saturday, February 1.
In his post, the social media user claimed that the man was a Chinese national suffering from flu-like symptoms, and that they sought help from various government agencies only to get no response.
The next day, police said that the Korean personally went to the Ermita Police Station to clarify that he only fell asleep on the street due to intoxication. (Minka Tiangco)