Press Release
April 16, 2020

STATEMENT OF SEN. FRANCIS "KIKO" PANGILINAN ON THE SENATE RESOLUTION SEEKING THE RESIGNATION OF HEALTH SECRETARY FRANCISCO DUQUE III

"We support the resolution.

On record na sa Pebrero hearing pa lang sa Senado ay pinuna na natin ang kakulangan sa aksyon ng liderato ng Department of Health ukol sa COVID. On record sa nasabing hearing na 'failure of leadership' ang tawag natin sa nakita natin sa naging kilos ni Duque.

To our January 28 call for a travel ban on visitors from COVID epicenter Wuhan and other parts of China, Secretary Duque publicly opposed a total travel ban saying there were diplomatic repercussions. Inuna pa ang interes ng China kaysa sa kaligtasan ng mga Pilipino.

At the same hearing, Secretary Duque was oblivious to the escalating health crisis. He revealed his incompetence as he was unaware that only 17 percent contact tracing of the first confirmed (January 30) COVID positive patient was done and he was also unaware that 31 of the reported 80 PUIs came from Wuhan. DOH failed to do contact tracing of the 31 PUIs, as well as the first confirmed COVID case who arrived on January 21. All these failures led to the spread of the disease.

Naghugas ng kamay.

Mahigit dalawang buwan na ang nakalipas, pero wala pa rin kaming nakitang pagbabago sa makupad at malabong pagpapatupad ng mga anti-COVID effort. Napigilan sana ang pagkalat ng COVID. Nagawan sana ng paraan ang kawalan ng PPEs sa mga ospital. Napigilan ang pagkamatay ng ating mga kababayan at mga magigiting na frontliner.

Hanggang ngayon, hindi maayos ang contact tracing, ang travel restrictions, at mass testing. Kailangan ng malinaw at totoong datos para malabanan ang sakit.

Matagal-tagal nang may State of National Emergency. Kailangan ng malinaw na pagtingin sa problema, mabilis na desisyon, at mas mabilis na aksyon. Sinuman ang papalit sa kanya ay dapat may ganitong mga qualification."

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