Eduardo Año INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Tuesday apologized to the medical community after presidential spokesperson Harry Roque berated a group of doctors during an online meeting of the task force on pandemic response last week.
“For me personally, I want to apologize to the health sector. That is an unfortunate event that should not have happened,” Año told CNN Philippines.
While he acknowledged that Roque had a valid argument, Año did not agree with the way the Palace official said it.
“Of course, we are in the government, but that should not be a privilege for us to shout at anyone. We are all citizens of this country and we should respect each other,” he said.
Roque drew flak after a leaked video that went viral showed him angrily scolding doctors during a meeting of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases on Sept. 7. Roque later apologized for his behavior.