Duque did not import COVID-19, says Duterte

August 3, 2020

For the nth time, President Rodrigo Duterte has defended embattled Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, saying he did not import the coronavirus disease pandemic.

Some quarters, including senators, have been calling for the replacement of Duque over his alleged inefficiency on efforts to address COVID-19 and alleged irregularities at the Department of Health.

"For example, Secretary Duque, they want your neck. Then I asked you, 'Okay, you want me to fire Duque?' Let me be satisfied. What's the fault of the person? He did not import COVID," Duterte said in a televised message on Sunday night in Malacañang where Duque was also present.

He said Duque has been with the DOH for a long time and COVID-19 infection was overwhelming not only in the Philippines.

"Now, if Secretary Duque (was) misquoted or was not accurate on his figures, for me, you are stunned with the figures because they come in incomplete and sometimes wrong, sometimes asymptomatic, sometimes (the patient) already went home," Duterte said.

Netizens have been questioning the data of the DOH on the number of COVID-19 cases, especially when it reported on July 30 a record-breaking over 38,000 recoveries in a single day. Celerina Monte/DMS