"The wrong person resigned."
Former-Vice President and senatorial aspirant Jejomar Binay said this following the sudden resignation of Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) Director General Eric Domingo on Monday, Jan. 3.
"It should have been the Health Secretary for his mismanagement of the medical response to the pandemic," Binay said in a statement on Tuesday, Jan. 4.
"His failings have unduly compromised the safety of health workers and other frontliners, and eroded the chances of an early economic recovery," he added.
Binay said that “if we want the economy to recover, the solution is to improve the country's medical response to the pandemic,” especially amid the growing threats of the Omicron and Delta COVID-19 variants.
"That will never happen under the present Department of Health (DOH) leadership. We need a competent person leading the department," he said.
When asked for Domingo's reason for resigning, he said he doesn't have any specific reason and just wants to move on to other things.
Domingo led the FDA on Feb. 9, 2020 and introduced a breakthrough system for the country which grants emergency approval for vaccines and medicines to just a month, instead of the previous six months.
Under Domingo’s leadership, the FDA has given nine COVID-19 vaccines and two COVID-19 drugs Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).
FDA Deputy Director General Dr. Oscar Guiterrez has been appointed as officer-in-charge, the DOH confirmed.