Once again, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III received President Rodrigo Duterte’s protection from massive criticisms on his management of the COVID-19 crisis as the chief executive defends his health chief anew.
But Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said he is confused on why the country’s health chief still enjoys the confidence of the President despite numerous calls for his immediate resignation.
“I couldn’t understand what ‘amulet’ or magic potion Duque has as far as the President is concerned,” Lacson said in a statement on Monday.
“It is not only me who disagrees with the President for not firing Secretary Duque,” Lacson said. “There were 14 senators who had earlier asked him to resign. I don’t think that number has changed.”
Lacson was referring to the previous resolution of senators from the 24-member chamber calling for Duque’s resignation for his “failure of leadership, negligence, lack of foresight, and inefficiency.”
Earlier in the day, Lacson chided the President for claiming in his Sunday address that Duque does not deserve to be criticized because he was not the one who imported the virus to the Philippines.
“No sir,” Lacson tweeted, responding to the President’s claim. “The COVID-19 importers are the virus-infected couple from Wuhan, China, who spread the virus in Manila because your Secretary Duque miserably failed to do a simple contact-tracing.”
Meanwhile, House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano maintained his support on whatever the president says, noting that the lower chamber “agrees with the President that COVID-19 is the enemy, not the government.”
