
(Eagle News) — Several senators are calling for the resignation of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III as the country continues to fight the coronavirus disease 2019.
The call for the resignation was contained in P.S. Resolution No. 362 signed by fourteen senators: Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, Senators Sonny Angara, Nancy Binay, Pia Cayetano, Grace Poe, Joel Villanueva, Francis Tolentino, Bong Revilla, Imee Marcos, Lito Lapid, Ping Lacson and Manny Pacquiao.
Senator Bong Go, the President’s former close aide, has so far not signed the resolution.
In urging Duque to step down, the 14 senators noted what they said was Duque’s “failure of leadership, negligence, lack of foresight and inefficiency” in the performance of his mandate as Health secretary.
They particularly cited what they said were the DOH’s late recommendation in the banning of flights to and from China, the slow contract tracing of passengers on the flights taken by the Philippines’ first two confirmed COVID-19 cases, the “lack of coordination” with the Civil Aeronautics Board and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, its failure to provide Personal Protective Equipment for healthcare workers, among others.
The senators also took Duque to task for his alleged lack of foresight “by not immediately stockpiling” PCR-based testing kits and making them available to the public.
According to the senators, these have resulted in “poor planning, delayed response, lack of transparency and misguided and flip-flopping policies and measures” in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic “that endangered and continue to endanger the lives of our healthcare professionals, other frontliners and the Filipino people.”
“Whereas, knowing fully well the danger posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in the beginning of the year, Secretary Duque failed to put in place the necessary precautionary measures to lessen, if not at all prevent, the impact of this health crisis as shown by the above narration of facts…,” the senators said.
Harry Roque, the Palace spokesperson, said the Palace had no official position on the matter as of yet.
He said, however, that “every Cabinet member serves at the pleasure of the President..”
“..And habang hindi sila tinatanggal, the President continues to have full trust and confidence in them,” Roque said.