Malacañang yesterday asked TV host Willie Revillame to turn his substantial donation to testing kits and or a We Heal as One center to help the government more in its COVID-19 response.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque made the statement after Revillame told him in his program “Wowowin” in GMA that he wanted to personally meet President Duterte to talk about the pandemic.
Roque said he asked Revillame to make in-kind donations instead of cash.
“Pinarating niya sa akin na meron siyang substantial na donasyon. Ang aking rekomendasyon ay instead of cash, gawin na lang niya in-kind either in the form of PCR testing kits kasi ‘yan po ay importanteng importante o ‘yung pagpapagawa ng We Heal As One center,” he said. “Bagama’t may lupa ang gobyerno, ang kulang talaga ‘yung imprastaktura. And he was very receptive to my suggestion,” he added.
Roque likewise said that he emphasized to the TV host that the fight against COVID-19 was a partnership between the public and private sectors in the first place.
The Palace official was the special guest in the May 27 episode of Revillame’s 90-minute program. The two of them mostly talked about the government’s efforts in battling COVID-19.
During their interview, Revillame repeatedly emphasized to Roque his desire to meet the President even for just five minutes.
Roque even sang Rivermaya’s “Hinahanap-hanap Kita” as the show’s closing number.
Roque explained that he accepted Revillame’s invitation to appear on Wowowin to use the platform to disseminate information about the government’s efforts against COVID-19. (Argyll Geducos)