MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte’s expression of faith and confidence on Health Secretary Francisco Duque III will not affect the ongoing Ombudsman probe on the Department of Health’s (DOH) handling of the COVID-19 crisis, Malacañang said Tuesday.
In a televised Palace press briefing, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque insisted that Duterte knows and acknowledges that Ombudsman Samuel Martires’ office is an independent body.
“Tuloy pa rin po ang imbestigasyon. Kaya nga sabi ni Presidente ‘with all due respect to Ombudsman Martires.’ Alam po niyang independiyente at Constitutional office ang Ombudsman at hindi po niya hinahadlangan ang imbestigasyon na ito,” Roque said.
(The investigation will continue. That’s why the President said ‘with all due respect to Ombudsman Martires.’ He knows the Ombudsman is independent and it is the Constitutional office and he does not hamper this investigation.)
“Ang sinasabi lang niya, kampante siya na lahat ng tauhan niya sa gabinete ay mapagkakatiwalaan.”
(All he is saying is that he is confident that all of his people in the Cabinet are trustworthy.)
Duque has long been under fire for various issues in connection with the DOH’s COVID-19 response.
He and other DOH officials are facing an Ombudsman probe involving the purchase of 100,000 test kits, the use of UP-invented test kits, and other alleged irregularities committed amid the pandemic.
But Duterte again came in defense of his Health secretary, even saying that he will “stake his reputation” that Duque hasn’t stolen anything from the country’s coronavirus war chest.
Roque, likewise, expressed confidence that Martires is qualified to launch the investigation.
“Ombudsman Martires is a criminal lawyer, a former RTC [Regional Trial Court] judge, CA [Court of Appeals] justice, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court—hindi po ‘yan matitinag [He won’t budge],” the Palace official said.
“Alam po niya ang batas, titignan lang niya kung may nalabag na batas kundi man ang anti-graft law then titignan niya po yung Salonga Law on the code of conduct of public officers,” he added.
(He knows the law, he will only look if there is a violation of the law. If not the anti-graft law then he will look at the Salonga Law on the code of conduct of public officers.)