Resigned NTF adviser Leachon laments old data on COVID-19 cases

The former special adviser of the National Task Force against COVID-19 on Wednesday lamented the Department of Health's (DOH) late data on coronavirus cases.

In Joseph Morong's report on "24 Oras," Dr. Tony Leachon said one of the problems was that the DOH data was used as the basis on which quarantine systems were placed over areas across the country.

"You cannot make adequate and agile decisions on adequate reporting and then ang country will suffer kung magkamali ka ng quarantine intervention. If it is an old data, how can you decide on that?" Leachon said.

"Hindi mo rin ma-monitor kung alin diyan ang magiging epidemic. Suddenly, magugulat ka na lang, mayroon na lang rapid spread in Cebu and the Eastern Visayas kasi hindi ang data fresh," he added.

The former adviser further stressed that he could not understand why the problem cannot be fixed.

"'Yun nga ang hindi ko maintindihan; the most important thing na gagawin ng Department of Health is to correct the data, bakit hindi magawa 'yun? Eh, everything is anchored on that, eh," he said.

DOH has yet to release a statement on Leachon's latest criticism.

However, on Monday, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that the department's critics were welcome to provide help.

Leachon said he was asked to resign from his post due to his criticism of the DOH's COVID-19 response. Earlier Wednesday, Leachon announced that he was no longer the special advisor for the task force.

"Kinausap siya ni Secretary [Harry] Roque at ni Secretary [Francisco] Duque at nasasaktan sila sa comments ko," he said of NTF chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez.

"So sabi sa akin ni Secretary Galvez, ako na lang nagsabi na, sir, sana hindi ako pabigat sa inyo. Sinabihan din ako na mag-resign na rin," he added. — Joahna Lei Casilao/BM, GMA News