MANILA, Philippines— Senator Nancy Binay insisted on Wednesday that Health Secretary Francisco Duque III may not be “the right guy” to solve the country’s problem on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID -19).
This as President Rodrigo Duterte defended Duque anew from criticisms and resignation calls over his alleged mishandling of the health crisis.
“I think my position is clear already, the mere fact that I signed the resolution calling for his resignation and I still stand by that decision,” Binay said over ABS-CBN News Channel’s morning show, Headstart.
In a Senate resolution filed last April, 14 senators, including Binay, called for Duque’s immediate resignation, citing his alleged “failure of leadership, negligence, (and) lack of foresight” in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.
But Duterte stood by Duque even as the Office of the Ombudsman moved to have him and other Department of health officials investigated in connection with alleged irregularities of the agency’s response to the pandemic.
Binay recognized the President’s decision to keep Duque despite the probe and resignation calls.
“It’s his decision if he wants to (retain Duque) but kami sa Senado, well, majority of us already expressed our sentiments that you know baka he’s not the right guy at the moment for us to solve this problem,” she stressed.