Duque explains absences in House hearing, welcomes recall of committee report

Published January 27, 2022 11:45 AM By JOAHNA LEI CASILAO,GMA News

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Thursday explained why he was unable to attend hearings of a House of Representatives panel that probed the government's COVID-19 response efforts last year.

“I was not able to attend the hearings because of conflict with my earlier equally important official engagements,” Duque told GMA News Online.

The Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability on Wednesday issued a committee report

recommending charges against Duque and two others but recalled it later in the day.

Aside from Duque, those recommended to be charges were
former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) director general0 Eric Domingo and and FDA Center for Drug Regulation and Research Director Joyce Cirunay.

The inquiry focused on the policies and guidelines of the Department of Health (DOH)  and the FDA for the "registration, utilization, manufacture, distribution or sale of drug products for the coronavirus disease."

The committee report noted the DOH and the FDA's supposed contradictory issuances and guidelines as well as reliance on just a few members of medical professional associations.

These issuances appear "arbitrary and unreasonable" in light of the circumstances the country was facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the committee.

Duque, who welcomed the recall of the committee report, said the DOH secretary has nothing to do with the day-to-day operations of the FDA.

“As Chair of DOH Execom we guide them on certain policy issues and act on appeals brought before us by complainants adversely affected by the FDA’s decisions,” he said.

“Unless the appeal is meritorious we almost always sustain FDA's decisions,” Duque added.

Duque also said the FDA has its own head “who are more knowledgeable and competent about the day to day regulatory operations of the FDA.”

"FDA is dutybound to implement the regulatory laws ensuring safety quality efficacy and cost-effectiveness of drugs medicines biologicals vaccines and devices since they are for public use,” he said.

Reacting to the committee report, Domingo on Wednesday said
the evaluation and approval of COVID-19 drug products were being done in a proper and timely manner.

“All applications for COVID drugs were evaluated properly and approved in a timely manner  based on scientific evidence of quality, safety and efficacy,” he told GMA News Online. —KBK, GMA News

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