Pangilinan wants ex-health chiefs to takeover virus response lead from Duque

MANILA, Philippines — Health Secretary Francisco Duque III should be replaced by better public health experts to lead the country’s response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis, Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan said Saturday.

“Problema ang leadership. Ano ang solusyon sa problema ng leadership? Palitan si Duque at mga nakapaligid dito at ilagay ang mahuhusay na public health experts,” the opposition senator said in a statement.

(The problem is leadership. What is the solution? Replace Duque and place better public health experts.)

Pangilinan said he nominates Philippine General Hospital chief Dr. Gap Legaspi as well as former Health Secretaries Manuel Dayrit and Esperanza Cabral.

To prove his point, Pangilinan said the Department of Health (DOH) already reported 4,017 additional cases on Sept. 11, Friday, which is higher than the total caseload in other Asian countries.

Thailand has 3,461 cases while Vietnam has only 1,060, Pangilinan also noted.

“Kung karera ang kampanya laban sa COVID-19, ang ibang bansa sa Asya tulad ng Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan, at South Korea ay tumatakbo nang mabilis patungo sa finish line, habang ang Pilipinas gumagapang sa pagkakulelat,” the senator said.

(If the campaign against COVID-19 is a race, other Asian countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan, and South Korea are already at the finish line while the Philippines is still at the last place.)

/MUF