VP Robredo won't call on Duque to take a leave amid Ombudsman probe over COVID-19 response

Vice President Leni Robredo will not call on Health Secretary Francisco Duque III to take a leave amid an Ombudsman probe on DOH’s COVID-19 response during the pandemic, saying that change of guard could do more harm.

“Hanggang ngayon, marami pa tayong kina-catch up instead of sumasabay na sana tayo doon sa experiences ng iba. Mahirap ang laban natin, mahirap magpalit ng heneral habang nasa gitna ng laban,” Robredo said in an ANC interview.

“Mas doon ako sa palitan ang ginagawa, palitan ang polisiya, para ma-improve ang lahat. I am not in favor of rocking everything in the midst of it all kasi baka mas maging sintunado iyong lahat. Unless he does not want to listen, that would be the time for him to leave,” Robredo added.

Robredo then said that Duque should instead be open to criticisms and suggestions, as well as speed up accreditation of laboratories processing COVID-19 tests.

“More than a 100 pa ang nag-aantay ng accreditation, almost four months into it,” Robredo said.

No to militarization

The Vice President also warned against using a military approach in containing COVID-19 in Cebu City, saying that stoking fear among the public would not work.

“I saw pictures of Cebu yesterday from the news and iyong nakikita ko military tanks. Parang hindi siya magandang visualization for the people na this is a health pandemic, bakit may mga tanke sa daan? Iyong sa akin, the military has been very helpful even to our office, pero I think, we should take a more public health approach,” Robredo said.

“Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, and General [Carlito] Galvez, Jr. [of the National Task Force] are very effective managers, pero people should understand for them to cooperate na ito, hindi ito takutan, eh. People should share the responsibility of governing everyone,” Robredo added.

Threatening arrests, Robredo said, tends to assume criminal liability rather than imposing discipline.

“Halimbawa, iyong physical distancing, halimbawa iyong lahat na nire-require natin sa kanila, hindi iyon nadadaan sa takot, eh. People should understand that they have a role in, you know, controlling the pandemic. Pero kapag tinatakot natin na kapag lumabas kayo, huhulihin, parang ang presumption na kaagad masama iyong tao. And I don’t think that’s the correct way of doing things,” the Vice President pointed out.

“I have great faith na if people understand why we need to do this, if people understand that they have a stake, that they have a responsibility that governance is a shared responsibility, mas magiging cooperative sila rather than tinatakot. Ang problema ko dito, kapag nakikita na ng tanke ‘yung mga, 'ano ba ito, giyera?' Hindi ito nadadaan sa pagso-sow ng fear among the constituency,” Robredo added.

The Philippines has 32,295 COVID-19 cases so far. Of this number, 8,656 recovered while 1,204 died.—AOL, GMA News