MANILA, Philippines – Anakbayan has asked senators calling for Health Secretary Francisco Duque’s resignation why President Rodrigo Duterte was spared even if he is supposedly the “main culprit” for the COVID-19 mess.
Anakbayan spokesperson Alex Danday said on Thursday that while it is correct to rally behind Duque’s resignation as thousands of Filipinos have been infected with the latest coronavirus strain — the highest in Southeast Asia — people should remember that Cabinet secretaries are only “alter-egos” of the President.
“If Duque still has the slightest delicadeza left in him, he will heed the call and resign immediately,” Danday said. “However, we should look at the bigger picture — cabinet secretaries are merely alter egos of the national president. Inefficacies cited in the resolution once projected to Duterte, puts Duque’s to shame.”
“While the Senate is holding Duque accountable for ‘poor planning’ and ‘delayed response,’ we should not forget that it was Duterte who minimized the risk of the virus in late January and the one who was reluctant to implement the preemptive travel ban,” Anakbayan added.
Earlier, at least 14 senators signed Senate Resolution No. 362, calling for the immediate resignation of Duque after failing to handle the COVID-19 pandemic properly.
However, President Duterte recently said that Duque would stay as Department of Health (DOH) chief.
As of Thursday, DOH says that there are already 5,660 COVID-19 patients, 362 of which have died while at least 435 recovered from the disease. Worldwide, over 2.06 million individuals have been infected, while 134,216 have died from the disease and 513,820 have recovered from it.
These numbers may pale into comparison with countries like the United States, Spain, Italy, and the virus’ origin China, but it appears to be one of the highest in Southeast Asia despite limited testing.
Indonesia has registered 5,136 cases and 406 deaths, but only Indonesia has a higher death rate than the Philippines. Malaysia has 5,072 infected patients, but only 83 casualties were recorded; same with Singapore and Thailand, which has 3,699 and 2,643 cases, 10 and 43 deaths, respectively.
Vietnam is also being regarded as one of the most resilient countries, with just 268 cases and zero deaths.
In comparison, the Philippines’ mortality rate due to COVID-19 is still at 6.39 percent, while Malaysia has a 1.63 percent rate, Thailand, with a 1.62 percent rate, and Singapore with just 0.27 percent.
According to Danday, Duterte is to blame for the problems created by COVID-19, as the budget cuts in the health department came from the executive and the administration-allied Congress’ initiatives.
“Duterte is the one who crippled the public health system with incessant cuts in funding and profit-driven policies,” Danday said.
“We welcome the senators’ move, but if we do not cut the problem at its roots, the same mistakes will recur. If we want a government that adeptly responses to crises, and thus, one that truly serves the people’s interests, we should start by getting rid of the man currently on top,” Anakbayan noted.