IATF backs Duque, says missteps vs new virus are normal

MANILA, Philippines — The government task force in charge of policymaking for the country’s response to the coronavirus disease 2019  (COVID-19) expressed its support to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III after several senators called for his resignation amid the pandemic.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, spokesman of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases said it is only normal to commit “missteps” in this health crisis as the novel coronavirus is a completely new virus that experts have yet to fully understand.

Nograles also credited Duque for reporting the situation as it is, without sugarcoating, which he said paved the way for the government’s key measures against COVID-19 such as the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon and the travel restrictions against countries with confirmed coronavirus cases.

“All of the decisions that were made came out to be the right decisions. if we had not imposed a community quarantine immediately, if we had not done ‘yung travel restrictions immediately, if we had not done this, if we had not done that magkakatotoo ‘yung sinabi ng WHO na 70,000 tayo infected ng COVID-19.,” Nograles said in a press briefing Friday.

“In this battle magkakaroon ng missteps e, because its novel. it’s a new virus. The world does not even know how the virus operates, how it reacts how it moves,” he stressed.

At least 14 senators signed a resolution calling for Duque’s immediate resignation due to “failure of leadership” in addressing the COVID-19 crisis.

Nograles also said he finds it “very strange” how quickly individuals were identified as Duque’s possible replacement after the resolution came out.

Nograles added that the entire Cabinet fully supports Duque.

President Duterte has decided to retain Duque, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea told reporters Thursday, just moments after the Senate resolution was reported.

Nograles argued that the Philippines cannot afford to “pause” in the middle of its battle against COVID-19.

“Magkakaron talaga ng missteps in any battle there is. But you have keep moving, you have to keep making decisions, you have to keep going otherwise maoovertake ka ng virus and we cannot be bothered by things like that,” he said.

“Kailangan tuluy-tuloy ang laban natin dito. Hindi tayo pwedeng mag ano dito, stop and pause. We cannot afford that.”

GSG