“Hindi pa natin nakikita ang pangangailangan para mag-leave si Secretary Duque para dito sa sinasabing imbestigasyon na isasagawa ng Ombudsman,” Health Spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire stated, turning down Senator Win Gatchalian’s call for its health chief to leave the post temporarily as the Office of the Ombudsman launches an investigation into the alleged mishandling of the COVID-19 response.
[We don’t see the need for Secretary (Francisco) Duque to take a leave of absence for the Ombudsman’s investigation.]
Vergeire said the health secretary has their ’full support,’ crediting Duque’s leadership as the reason why undersecretaries were able to accomplish their duties.
On Thursday, Senator Gatchalian said the ‘appropriate thing’ for Duque to do is to take a leave of absence to ensure the objectivity of the investigation.
On Wednesday, the Ombudsman announced that there is already an ongoing probe into supposed “irregularities and anomalies” in the DOH’s pandemic response measures,.
