MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte says he has extended a state of calamity in the entire Philippines by a year to allow the government to draw emergency funds faster to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and harness the police and military to maintain law and order.Duterte first placed the country under a state of calamity in March when the number of confirmed infections was approaching 200 with about a dozen deaths.
The country now has more than 290,000 confirmed cases, the highest in Southeast Asia, with nearly 5,000 deaths.The tough-talking president lashed anew at critics in his televised remarks late Monday for accusing his administration of not doing enough to contain the outbreaks.“What 'enough’ do you want?