Año regrets Leachon leaving COVID-19 task force

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Thursday expressed regret over the departure of Dr. Tony Leachon from the National Task Force Against (NTF) COVID-19, citing his contributions in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic as its special adviser.

"I also regret Dr. Leachon leaving the NTF but you know he has decided to resign, so be it," Año told ANC. "But we will remain friends and we will still, I for one, will still get his input from time to time."

"Nakatulong din talaga ng husto si Dr. Tony Leachon," he said.

Año, vice chairman of the national action plan meant to reinforce efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, surmised that Leachon may not be aware of how things are being done in the government where officials follow an "agreed communication line."

"You know in the government, if you have some disagreement, you have to talk with the collegial body, you have to talk with the national task force and then whatever the agreement and the agreed communication line, we all follow... There might be a lot of messengers but there must be one message," he said.

"Siguro hindi rin sanay si Dr. Tony Leachon diyan bilang civilian. Hindi siya masyadong sanay sa rigid organization like in the government," said Año, who admitted that some of Leachon's statements were "already contradicting policies or official line of the IATF."

The IATF refers to the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases, the government's policy-making body in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Leachon on Wednesday said he was asked to resign from the NTF over tweets critical of the Department of Health’s (DOH) coronavirus response.

The chief implementer of the government’s COVID-19 response, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., said Leachon did not listen to cautions against release of information prior to official announcement, causing “unwarranted misunderstanding” between the NTF and the IATF.

For Año, Leachon expressed his sentiments not to "malign" an official but only to make a point amid the current health situation.

"I think he did that for good intention. He does not really want to malign anyone. Probably he just wants to emphasize some points and sometimes he is also emotional," he said.

Last week, Leachon lamented how the health department seemed to “lose focus in everything” in the country’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. --KBK, GMA News