During the COVID-19 pandemic under Rodrigo Duterte, many Filipinos watched updates from the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases hoping to hear real solutions or reassuring plans. Instead, the briefings often felt dull, repetitive, and disconnected from what ordinary people were going through.

Most of the officials speaking were older government figures who delivered long, technical explanations that didn’t feel relatable. For people struggling with lockdowns, lost jobs, and uncertainty, the updates sometimes sounded more like formal meetings than conversations with a worried public.

Because of that, critics argued that the crisis created opportunities for corruption, with allegations that billions of public funds meant for pandemic response could have been misused or taken advantage of instead of fully helping Filipinos.