Locsin hits back at Duque: Don’t ever question my motives

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. FILE PHOTO/ Voltaire F Domingo of Senate PRIB

MANILA, Philippines — “Don’t ever question my motives.”

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. had this to say as he hit back at Health Secretary Francisco Duque III over a supposedly missed opportunity to acquire 50 million syringes from the United States.

“Hindi (No), just respond to the offer professionally on the right not junior level; say no and explain why. The offeror answered back devastatingly. Don’t ever, Duque, ever, question my motives,” Locsin said in a tweet Monday.

Hindi, just respond to the offer professionally on the right not junior level; say no and explain why. The offeror answered back devastatingly. Don’t ever, Duque, ever, question my motives. https://t.co/KWmv04AmIG

— Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) December 13, 2021

“I was assured it was being handled professionally and would be disposed of on a factual basis and not by pakiusap or tago-ng-tago [not by appeals or constant hiding]. It was given to junior staff,” the foreign affairs secretary said in another tweet.

I was assured it was being handled professionally and would be disposed of on a factual basis and not by pakiusap or tago-ng-tago. It was given to junior staff. Kasi tayo ay sa parehong administrasyon, ayaw ko mababuy ang reputation ng PRRD admin. Walang kasamahan sa kababuyan. https://t.co/PIdPFYa8sE

— Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) December 13, 2021

“Kasi tayo ay sa parehong administrasyon, ayaw ko mababuy ang reputation ng [Duterte] admin. Walang kasamahan sa kababuyan,” he added.

(We are in the same administration, I don’t want the reputation of the Duterte admin to be tarnished.)

Locsin was reacting to Duque’s denial that the government “dropped the ball again” on the procurement of the syringes.

The health chief said Locsin wanted to increase the approved contract budget to meet the supplier’s price offer.

Over the weekend, Locsin said the Department of Health (DOH) offered to pay for each syringe at a “hallucinatory” price.

“Ph DOH’s offer of 4.7 cents a syringe is hallucinatory; no one on the planet makes special PFIZER LOW DEAD VOLUME SYRINGES that cheap; 7 cents is the absolute lowest. UNICEF pays double. Make all purchases public,” Locsin had said.

Duque, for his part, explained that going beyond the approved budget for procurement of the syringes would be a violation to the government’s procurement and anti-graft laws.

JPV