Duque still enjoys Duterte's trust despite Ombudsman probe —Go

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III still has the trust of President Rodrigo Duterte even as he is a subject of an Ombudsman investigation over issues related to the Department of Health's response to the COVID-19 crisis, Senator Bong Go said Sunday.

In a statement, Go said Duque continues to have the full trust of the President, pointing out that it is difficult to replace the health secretary in the middle of the pandemic.

“Base po sa narinig at binabanggit n’ya sa publiko nung mga nakaraang araw, eh nandyan pa ang tiwala ng Pangulo kay Secretary Duque," he said.

"Pangalawa, ayaw rin po mapalitan ni Pangulo si Secretary Duque sa gitna ng laban bagama’t alam n’ya po na may pagkukulang talaga ‘yung departamento, maraming pagkukulang, kaya nga po pinatulungan na n’ya sa mga iba’t ibang retired military officials na nasa Gabinete po ngayon,” he added.

Go admitted that the DOH and the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. will not be able to address the COVID-19 crisis alone, considering that the two agencies are undermanned in the fight against an unseen enemy.

He nevertheless urged health officials to continue doing their job despite criticisms from the public.

“’Wag kayong [DOH] ma-pressure, gawin n’yo lang muna ang inyong trabaho... kung walang itinatago, eh wala kayong dapat ikatakot. Trabaho muna kayo. Labanan muna natin itong COVID-19. Kapag nalampasan natin itong labang ito, taas noo po kayong haharap sa Pilipino na tinalo natin itong COVID-19 lalo na kung wala po kayong ginawang masama,” Go said.

“Magtulungan po tayo malampasan ang krisis na ito. Hindi po nakakatulong ang hindi pagkakaunawaan. Patuloy ang pagkalat ng sakit, huwag niyo na dagdagan ng sakit ng sama ng loob sa isa’t isa,” he added.

Ombudsman Samuel Martires has directed the creation of two more investigating teams to jointly investigate alleged irregularities and anomalies committed by DOH officials and employees, including Duque, in relation to the department's response to the pandemic.

These issues include the delayed procurement of personal protective equipment and other medical gears for healthcare workers, the alleged irregularities that led to the death of medical workers, the rising number of deaths and infected medical frontliners, the inaction in the release processing of benefits and financial assistance of “fallen” and infected medical frontliners, and the confusing and delayed reporting of COVID-19 related deaths and confirmed cases.

Duque has expressed readiness to undergo the Ombudsman investigation.

"We welcome and we are open [to] these investigations on the alleged issues. We are ready, the papers and documents are ready," he said.

Meanwhile, Malacañang asked Duque and the others to “cooperate with the investigation and respect the orders” of the Ombudsman. —LBG, GMA News