By Vanne Elaine Terrazola Senators are even more disappointed with Health Secretary Francisco Duque III's performance following their inquiry into the government's COVID-19 response, Senator Panfilo Lacson said on Saturday (May 23). Senate Panfilo Lacson
(Senate of the Philippines / MANILA BULLETIN) In an interview over DWIZ radio, Lacson said he and his colleagues were dismayed with how Duque responded to their queries about the extent of the pandemic and the Department of Heath's (DOH) efforts to address it. Duque, he said, showed "overconfidence" despite the issues in the DOH. "Honestly, lalo kaming nadismaya, lalo kaming na-disappoint. Parang walang effort man lang. Ang tawag doon, 'hubris,' kasi 'di siya tinanggal. 'Maski anong panawagan ninyo, maski anong palpak ko, mahal ako ng Pangulo, hindi ako tatanggalin.' 'Di ba tawag doon hubris? Sobrang self-confidence, apektado ang efficiency mo (Honestly, we were more dismayed, we were more disappointed. It seemed like he did not exert any effort. That's called 'hubris,' because he was not removed from his post. 'No matter how much you appeal, despite all my failures, the President favors me, he will not fire me.' Isn't that called hubris? Because of overconfidence, your efficiency is affected)," Lacson said. Last month, at least 14 senators, including Lacson, filed a resolution asking Duque to resign for his "failure of leadership, negligence, lack of foresight, and inefficiency" related to his handling of the COVID-19 crisis. President Duterte, however, decided to keep his Health secretary. Duque came under fire again for declaring in the Senate committee of the whole's hearing last Wednesday that the Philippines is "actually" experiencing the second wave of the COVID-19 spread and that the country has already flattened the curve after the first three cases of the coronavirus infection in January. Palace officials, however, contradicted Duque and said the latter's pronouncements were not communicated with the President. In the same hearing, Duque claimed that asymptomatic patients are not contagious. Statements from the World Health Organization and the DOH itself, however, said otherwise. The DOH is also in hot water for its alleged procurement of overpriced medical supplies, as well as for supposedly overcharging patients for COVID-19 testing. Lacson quoted Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque as saying that a "worried" Duterte gave an order to keep a close eye on the DOH's procurement. Roque earlier told Duque's critics to let the latter "do his job." "Sa akin, nakakatakot at nakakapangamba. Sa tingin ko pag ganyan at ganyan ang takbo, di tayo magtatagumpay, marami pang madidisgrasya (For me, it is scary and worrisome. I think if he keeps running it that way, we won't succeed, more will be in danger)," Lacson said, citing the increasing number of COVID-19 deaths. Duque, he said, should not be complacent that he enjoys Duterte's confidence, especially as his people in the DOH as well as concerned stakeholders were the ones providing information about the issues in the department.