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Duterte eyes free masks for Filipinos amid spike in COVID-19 cases

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ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte is considering the distribution of free face masks for the public, as the Philippines registers a new surge in new COVID-19 cases.</p><p>Duterte said in a public briefing Monday he observed most Filipinos, especially the underprivileged, still wear the same face mask they&#x27;ve been using for a long time since they don&#x27;t have money to buy new ones.</p><p>&quot;We have to provide the masks for everybody. Eh kung &#x27;yang tao walang pera pambili, walang mask, how do you expect compliance from him?&quot; he said.</p><p>Duterte said the Department of Interior and Local Government and barangay captains can help with the provision of face masks. </p><p>His message came days after the Philippines reported its largest single-day increase of COVID-19 cases in more than 6 months, and its first case of the highly contagious variant first identified in Brazil.</p><p>The Philippines also reported 5,404 new infections on Monday, its fourth-highest tally in a day since the start of the pandemic.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/15/21/ph-logs-5404-new-covid-19-cases-4th-highest-since-pandemic-started">PH logs 5,404 new COVID-19 cases, 4th highest since pandemic started</a></li></ul><p>With 626,893 coronavirus infections, the country has the second highest COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia, next to Indonesia.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1635442" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><div> </div>

<p>MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte is considering the distribution of free face masks for the public, as the Philippines registers a new surge in new COVID-19 cases.<br /> </p>

MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte is considering the distribution of free face masks for the public, as the Philippines registers a new surge in new COVID-19 cases.