President Rodrigo Duterte voiced his fears that the Philippines could face a resurgence of COVID-19 cases due to the increase in cases caused by the new Omicron variant.

''If it would be as bad as the previous virus (variant), I am afraid,'' said Duterte in the pre-taped Talk to The People Tuesday night in Davao City.

''Somehow, I am nervous because let me be frank to the public, our budget is depleted,'' he added.

Three cases of the Omicron variant have been reported in the Philippines, the third last Monday.

The National Capital Region endured the highest level of lockdown twice this year due to the Delta variant, resulting in billions of pesos of economic losses.

The Philippines, especially the NCR, have seen COVID-19 cases decline quickly in the last two months due to a vaccination program.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said in his presentation Tuesday's 168 COVID-19 cases ''are the lowest tallied this year.''

Duque said although the Omicron spreads quickly, only mild cases have been reported so far.

He added vaccination helps greatly to reduce the chance of a person getting infected against the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus.

Vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez said the government will aggressively pursue vaccinating people against the COVID-19, especially in the vulnerable senior and persons with comorbidities sectors. DMS