President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. admitted during his inaugural address Thursday, June 30 that there were "shortcomings" in the Duterte administration's response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, the newly-installed leader only did so via a throwaway line in his less than 30-minute speech.
"There were shortcomings in the Covid response; we will fix them — out in the open," Marcos said.
"No more secrets in public health. Remember, I speak from experience, I was among the first to get Covid; it was not a walk in the park," said the 64-year-old former senator and Ilocos Norte governor.
He did not mention anything else regarding former President Rodrigo Duterte's Covid-19 response for the rest of his speech.
The former president's eldest daughter, Sara Duterte, is the current vice president. Marcos picked the younger Duterte as his running mate during for the May 9, 2022 elections.
Marcos has yet to name a Department of Health (DOH) secretary for his Cabinet.
Marcos's inauguration took place at the National Museum.