By CHITO A. CHAVEZ
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III on Thursday urged Vice President Leni Robredo to help in “unifying the nation” in this time of the pandemic.
“All she needed to do was support (the government),” Densing said
Densing made his statement as he admitted that the “Lugaw” person that he was alluding to earlier was indeed Leni Robredo.
“Yes. Lugaw si Leni,” Densing told this reporter in a message.
He made his admission as he launched fresh tirades against Robredo amid the viral online discussions on whether or not lugaw–that is the food item–is essential.
Densing chided Robredo for her supposed false claims and criticisms against the government, particularly the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force), which allegedly failed to consult with local government units (LGUs) before implementing quarantine protocols.
“Before these protocols were issued, the LGUs and mayors were consulted,” he said, refuting the claim of opposition leader Robredo.
The NCR-plus composed of the NCR (National Capital Region), Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal is currently under an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) as a result of the alarming surge in new coronavirus disease COVID-19 cases.
Densing further said that Robredo has been irrelevant in the country’s fight against COVID-19, and has made it appear that the government failed to enforce appropriate protocols during the year-long public health crisis.
Social media users called out the DILG official Wednesday night after he gave the following comment on the viral #LugawIsEssential video: “Sabi niya kasi, non-essential si lugaw. Hindi talaga essential si lugaw. Pero kung sinabi niya, essential ang lugaw, ‘yun, tama ‘yun. Ang lugaw. Pero si lugaw ang binanggit niya. Non-essential talaga ‘yun sa pananaw namin (What she said is lugaw is non-essential. Lugaw is really non-essential. But if she said that lugaw is essential, that’s right. The lugaw. But she referred to lugaw. Lugaw is really non-essential in our opinion).”
Although Densing didn’t mention Robredo, netizens believed that he was attacking her by using her “Lugaw” moniker.
Internet trolls have been calling Robredo “Lugaw Queen” or “Leni Lugaw” ever since pictures of her campaign team selling rice porridge spread online during the campaign period in 2016.
