MANILA – Malacañang stated on Monday that President Rodrigo Duterte’s verbal assaults on some senators were made in defense of his “innocent” Cabinet members.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque made the comment in response to criticism of Duterte’s outburst against some senators investigating the government’s acquisition of medical supplies amid the Covid-19 infections.
“Wala pong hupa ang ating Covid response…Pero importante naman po na panindigan ng Presidente ang gobyerno, ang mga taong gobyerno lalung-lalo na kung sa tingin po ninyo ay wala naman pong mga pagkakasalang nagawa (We never stopped our Covid response…But it is important for the President to stand by government officials he feels have not done anything wrong),” he said in a Palace press briefing.
He also echoed Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea’s request for senators to simply file charges if they could verify that there is corruption in the procurement of medical goods.
“Kung mayroon po talagang korapsiyon dito, sampahan na lang po natin ng kaso at hayaan natin ng Ombudsman ang magdesisyon. Dahil kapag mayroong ebidensiya, masasampahan naman po iyan ng kaso (If there is really corruption, charges should be filed and we should let the Ombudsman make the decision),” he added.
According to Roque, Duterte was dissatisfied with how a series of Senate hearings were consuming government officials’ time when they should have been focusing measures to address the continuing health crisis.
“Ang sinasabi lang ng Presidente, iyong mga taong dumadalo sa pagpupulong kasama po diyan ang DOH Secretary, kasama po diyan ang Vaccine Czar, kasama po diyan ang Testing Czar, iyong oras na nauubos sa pagdalo ng mga pagpupulong na ito ay oras na dapat ginugugol sa Covid (What the President is saying that those who are attending the hearings including the DOH Secretary, Vaccine Czar, and Testing Czar are wasting time attending these hearings instead of our Covid response),” he said.
He stated that Duterte is not forbidding the Senate from pursuing investigations, and that he respects their authority to do so.
“Mapipigil po ba iyon ng Presidente? Hindi po, kasi nga po independiyente ang Senado. So hindi rin po tama iyong premise ng inyong tanong kung bakit gusto niyang pigilan iyan, dahil wala po iyan sa control ng Presidente (Can the President stop those probes? He can’t, because the Senate is independent. So the premise of your question asking why he wants to stop the probes is wrong because he has no control over these probes),” he said.
Meanwhile, Roque has asked the Senate to enable government officials to prioritize efforts to combat the pandemic.
“Ang pakiusap lang, nasa gitna pa po tayo ng pandemya, hayaan natin na iyong mga taong talaga namang silang mga nakatutok sa Covid ay magawa ang kanilang mga katungkulan (Our appeal is that in the middle of the pandemic, allow people in charge to do their jobs and focus on the Covid-19 pandemic),” he added.
The Senate hearings, according to Duterte, are impeding the government’s efforts to supply essential services in response to Covid-19.
“There are so many things to take care of actually on the home front. And if you keep on calling people to testify there, how can they work? For example, si Secretary Galvez pati si ikaw pati si… Papaano tayo makatrabaho nito kung nandoon kayo? (For example, Secretary [Carlito] Galvez. How we can work if you are there?),” Duterte said in a recent public address.
The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee is investigating the Department of Health’s (DOH) alleged inadequacies in spending Covid-19 response funds, including the purchase of reportedly overpriced personal protective equipment (PPE) and other medical supplies at the start of the pandemic last year.
