President Rodrigo Duterte late Tuesday night defended Health Secretary Francisco Duque III again amid fresh criticisms on the government’s efforts during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in the country.
In his scheduled public address, the President backed the health chief once again and said he would not have appointed Duque if he was incapable of handling the department.
“Nakita ko to si Secretary Duque in the many meeting we had. Nakita ko siyang nagtatrabaho. Nagtatrabaho ‘yung tao,” Duterte said.
[I saw Secretary Duque in the many meetings we had. I saw him working. He is working.]
He also noted that no country was prepared to deal with the pandemic to begin with.
“Hindi natin akalain (we did not expect) in 2 days time after warning given by the WHO (World Health Organization), it is a virulent, fast-moving microbe and we were all advised to take precautions,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Ombudsman continues its investigation on alleged lapses in the health department’s response to the crisis.
