Sen. Francis Pangilinan said Sunday that the administration should let go of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III amid an upsurge in coronavirus cases that has seen the highest single-day increase since the start of the pandemic.
The Duterte government’s continued backing of the Health Secretary amid earlier calls for him to resign has led to apparent consequences, said Pangilinan.
“Sa akin, sana magkaroon ng kaliwanagan ang Malacañang at aminin na kinakailangan na maghanap ng iba gaya ng ginawa naman nila sa PhilHealth,” he said.
Duque’s resignation was called for by a majority of senators in April 2020 over the DOH’s management of the COVID-19 pandemic, claiming that the health secretary had shown “poor planning, delayed response, lack of transparency and misguided and flip-flopping policies” in handling the crisis.
With President Rodrigo Duterte repeatedly rejecting calls and declaring his support for Duque, the health chief has managed to stay on. Social media users also criticized Duque on Friday for going around Parañaque to distribute face shields and implement physical distancing with a meter stick, saying he should be focused on other things.
