Senator Ping Lacson. INQUIRER file photo / EDWIN BACASMAS
MANILA, Philippines — “What he really meant was hilo [dazed].”
Senator Panfilo Lacson had this to say Tuesday apparently referring to President Rodrigo Duterte’s statement calling Health Secretary Francisco Duque III the “hero” responsible for the government’s “good” response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“He said that the Philippines is doing good in the fight against COVID-19 and called his health secretary a ‘hero.’ What he really meant was ‘hilo,’” Lacson said in a tweet.
He said that the Philippines is doing good in the fight against Covid 19 and called his health secretary a “hero”. What he really meant was “hilo”.
— PING LACSON (@iampinglacson) May 4, 2021
Senator Francis Pangilinan, likewise did not hold back, saying it is only the administration that believes the government’s response has been “excellent” and that Duque was the “hero” amid the health crisis.
“Yung pagiging ‘excellent’ at pagiging ‘hero ni Duque dahil sa good covid response’, palagay ko sila sila na lang ang naniniwala dun,” Pangilinan said.
(On the “excellent” pandemic response and “Duque being the hero for the good COVID response,” I think they are the only ones who believe that.)
Duterte has defended Duque in several instances as the public and lawmakers alike criticized the health secretary for the government’s pandemic response.
Duque was also called to resign amid the alleged irregularities involving the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth). But in September 2020, amid calls for Duque’s resignation in light of the PhilHealth controversy, Duterte said “it is not the time for you to resign.”