A Pasay City councilor has been criticized on social media after he was caught on video berating health workers conducting COVID-19 testing at the city hall.
In the video of the incident, councilor Moti Arceo could be heard raging when he saw the employees wearing personal protective equipment inside the Pasay city hall.
Arceo screamed in anger after he found out that a session hall was turned into a COVID-19 testing venue, Tuesday afternoon, May 19.
In an interview with ABS-CBN News, Arceo admitted that he was upset about the incident because of a lack of consultation and permission from the city health office to conduct rapid testing at the session hall.
According to Arceo, he did not curse any health worker in the video.
“Nagmura ako pero wala akong minura. Expression ng galit siguro… kasi ‘yong pangunahing ahensiya na dapat mag-lead ng laban sa COVID, mukhang sila pa ‘yong burara pa, careless, reckless,” he said.
(I did not curse anyone. Maybe it was out anger because those who are supposed to be leading in fighting COVID looks like they are the ones who are careless and reckless.)
A memorandum also circulated on social media in which the city hall’s human resources office decided on May 19 that municipal employees should undergo rapid testing.
Pasay Mayor Imelda Calixto-Rubiano has yet to confirm the document.
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Arceo said, like some local government units and hospitals, they should have set up a tent just outside the city hall for testing or take advantage of the city’s mobile testing centers.
According to Arceo, he is ready to deal with the consequences of his actions in the video.
“Naniniwala ako na tama yung stand ko…Wala akong hinarass. Inemphasize ko lang na delikado yung ginawa niyo dito,” Areco told CNN Philippines.
(I believe what I did was right. I did not harass anyone. I just emphasized that what they did was dangerous.)
“Kung si Panginoong Hesukristo nga, noong makitang ginawang palengke yung templo niya, nagalit, nagwala eh tayo makasalanang tao lang di naman pwedeng ikumpara doon. Kinilabutan rin ako sa nakita ko eh,” he added said.
(If Jesus Christ himself got angry at the people who turned his temple into a market, as a sinful person, I cannot compare myself to that. But what I saw gave me shivers.)
So far, the COVID-19 testing venue in Pasay city hall has been moved to the Mall of Asia Arena.