MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte hailed Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Monday as “the hero” responsible for the government’s “good” response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Compared with other countries, which is not the time to make comparisons, we’re doing good in the fight against COVID,” Duterte said in his pre-recorded speech. “Secretary Duque is the hero there.”
The President said this after noting the high number of patients who had recovered from COVID-19.
On Monday, the Philippines recorded 9,214 new recoveries, bringing the total number to 975,234. There were also 7,255 new COVID-19 infections, pushing the total active cases to 69,466.
Duterte has defended Duque in many instances amid calls for him to resign over controversies in the government’s COVID-19 response and in the alleged irregularities involving the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III. (Photo from the Department of Health)
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