Duque warned of contempt due to absences in House hearings

Anakalusugan party-list Representative Michael Defensor on Monday warned that Health Secretary Francisco Duque III could be cited in contempt over his continued absence in the congressional hearings about the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability resumed its motu proprio investigation on the alleged questionable guidelines and policies of the Department of Health (DOH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that supposedly hamper public health service delivery to Filipinos. 

"On two occasions si Secretary Duque po, hindi na ho uma-attend sa hearings natin. Very critical po dito 'yung mga usapan lalo't higit 'yung actions of policies ng Department of Health. So Mr. Chairman, I would like to find out what would be the basis for the continued absence of the Secretary of Health," Defensor said. 

"With your indulgence, ito po'y motu proprio hearing na po natin 'to eh. What they are saying here are supposedly under oaths. Number one, if there is continued absence, I would request, through you, that we write an official letter that in the next meeting, if they do not attend then we can declare them in contempt," he added. 

Representative Michael Edgar Aglipay, chairman of the said committee, noted that Duque only sent representatives during the previous hearing. However, he did not explain what was his reason for not attending. 

In response, Duque said he missed two hearings “due to his responsibility in leading the country's COVID-19 response.”

“The first hearing was scheduled in the midst of an ongoing surge. Today's hearing on the other hand, coincided with his preparation for the meeting with President Duterte in the afternoon,” he said in a statement sent to GMA News Online.

“Moreover, to promote efficiency and optimize the executive time of our lawmakers, we delegate attendance to the appropriate teams and bureaus who are equipped to answer highly technical and process-specific queries,” he added.

FDA's Domingo

Meanwhile, the absence of FDA Director General Eric Domingo in the hearing was also questioned by Deputy Speaker Lito Atienza. 

"By conveniently taking a leave, would Congress allow this and not only for this particular position but for future inquiries? By the convenient way of taking a leave, can they avoid congressional inquiry on their official decisions? Atienza said. 

Aglipay said he had learned that Domingo is on leave for a month due to personal matters. 

"The committee will not allow that. But in this particular case I was informed, it is because of a personal matter. His father is sick, and he has filed a one month leave because of this," Aglipay said. 

"I think he is the last person who will avoid an inquiry, given his previous attendance in various committees and various inquiries," he added. 

Defensor, for his part, said while he understands Domingo, his presence is very important because the country is still under public health emergency. —KG, GMA News