Pacquiao asks Duque to step down: 'Delicadeza na lang'

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III should consider resigning so as not to further tarnish President Rodrigo Duterte's name in the country's fight against COVID-19, Senator Manny Pacquiao said Monday.

"Sayang, dapat this January may vaccine na tayo, 'yung Pfizer, but masasabi natin na talagang kapalpakan 'yan ng ating DOH, si Secretary Duque," Pacquiao said in an interview with ANC.

"Napapahiya ang ating Pangulo, pagka ganu'n. Sa akin lang, for delicadeza, voluntary resigning na lang siya (Duque)... Ito lang ang problema, kapalpakan ni Duque... For delicadeza na lang," he added.

Pacquiao was among the several senators who sought Duque's resignation as early as April this year due to alleged failure of leadership in the COVID-19 response. The said call was left unheeded.

After being pointed out during the interview that President Rodrigo Duterte has actually defended Duque many times despite the latter's alleged blunders and shortcomings, Pacquiao made an appeal to the Chief Executive.

"Ang pakiusap ko kay Pangulo, kung puwede palitan na lang niya si Secretary Duque para maibsan naman 'yung hinaing ng ating mga kababayan," he said.

It is time to let other capable experts do the job of the DOH chief, he added.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. recently said 10 million Pfizer vaccines could have been shipped to the country by January but "somebody dropped the ball."

Senator Panfilo Lacson, citing information from Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez, said it was Health Secretary Francisco Duque III who made a mistake by sitting on the required Confidentiality Disclosure Agreement (CDA).

Duque, on the other hand, said there is no such thing as dropping the ball and that the negotiation with Pfizer is still ongoing.

In defense to the accusation hurled against him, Duque said the DOH cannot sign on behalf of the whole government, adding this is why the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. had also signed the CDA separately.

He emphasized that he signed the CDA on October 20 while the DOST and Galvez did in November.

“I have the chronology of events, so that this is all documented. There's no such thing that I did not act quick enough,” Duque said.

"When you go through a process, you cannot just be hurrying up things just like that. You have to be prudent and cautious especially because you are talking about a novel vaccine,” he added.

The DOH also clarified that the CDA does not immediately guarantee vaccine supply.

Duterte, meanwhile, sees "no major lapse" on Duque's part, according to the Palace.

Romualdez also admitted that he could share the blame for the delay in the delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer.

"Sinasabi ko nga maybe I can share the blame kung ano ang nangyari. Dapat nga tinawagan ko na mismo si Sec. Duque," Romualdez said. "Puwede kong sabihin na 'Secretary, kailangan na nating pirmahan muna 'yan para puwede natin masabi.'" —KG, GMA News