Lacson presses criticism of Duque's performance
Published May 13, 2020 02:02 pm
By Mario Casayuran
Senator Panfilo M. Lacson today, May 13, kept his guns trained at Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III for his supposed leadership failure or lapses in containing the spread of the deadly coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Senator Panfilo M. Lacson (CAMILLE ANTE / MANILA BULLETIN)
‘’This is not the first time that the DOH leadership is being challenged to prove itself - or leave their posts if they cannot be up to the job,’’ Lacson said in reference to alleged questionable health data of the DOH as pointed out by the experts from the University of the Philippines.
Lacson earlier said Duque would face a Senate inquiry after he rejected calls to step down by majority of the senators over his supposed lapses in handling the coronavirus crisis.
Last Tuesday, Lacson said that Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, whom he said is one of the few sensible souls in the Cabinet, has proposed to prioritize the hiring of contact tracing en masse to boost efforts to stop transmission and provide jobs to stimulate the economy through spending.
‘’Contact tracing is a key first step in addressing the COVID-19 threat. It should provide the baseline data or reference on who to test. Without it, our mass testing will be like shooting at the moon or running around like headless chickens,’’ Lacson said.
Lacson’s salute to Dominguez is seen as another round of critical assessment of the alleged inefficient handling of the COVID-19 pandemic threat by the DOH as the rate of viral infection continues to rise, particularly in densely-populated areas in Metro Manila, despite lockdowns.
He stressed that data accuracy is key to correct and sound decision-making.
‘’This is an age-old tenet in management which is not only logical but simple enough. Whether inadvertently committed or otherwise, it is reason enough to make people responsible and accountable. What is abominable is if such act is committed deliberately in pursuit of some selfish reasons or interests,’’ he pointed out.
‘’The COVID-19 pandemic involves people's lives, and to a large extent, their livelihoods. That said, there is no room for officials who, because of sheer incompetence or corrupt thinking, will endanger our lives that we practically entrust to them,’’ he added.
Senator Panfilo M. Lacson (CAMILLE ANTE / MANILA BULLETIN)
‘’This is not the first time that the DOH leadership is being challenged to prove itself - or leave their posts if they cannot be up to the job,’’ Lacson said in reference to alleged questionable health data of the DOH as pointed out by the experts from the University of the Philippines.
Lacson earlier said Duque would face a Senate inquiry after he rejected calls to step down by majority of the senators over his supposed lapses in handling the coronavirus crisis.
Last Tuesday, Lacson said that Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, whom he said is one of the few sensible souls in the Cabinet, has proposed to prioritize the hiring of contact tracing en masse to boost efforts to stop transmission and provide jobs to stimulate the economy through spending.
‘’Contact tracing is a key first step in addressing the COVID-19 threat. It should provide the baseline data or reference on who to test. Without it, our mass testing will be like shooting at the moon or running around like headless chickens,’’ Lacson said.
Lacson’s salute to Dominguez is seen as another round of critical assessment of the alleged inefficient handling of the COVID-19 pandemic threat by the DOH as the rate of viral infection continues to rise, particularly in densely-populated areas in Metro Manila, despite lockdowns.
He stressed that data accuracy is key to correct and sound decision-making.
‘’This is an age-old tenet in management which is not only logical but simple enough. Whether inadvertently committed or otherwise, it is reason enough to make people responsible and accountable. What is abominable is if such act is committed deliberately in pursuit of some selfish reasons or interests,’’ he pointed out.
‘’The COVID-19 pandemic involves people's lives, and to a large extent, their livelihoods. That said, there is no room for officials who, because of sheer incompetence or corrupt thinking, will endanger our lives that we practically entrust to them,’’ he added.