Manila Bulletin
Duque is no 'whipping boy,' says Roque
Malacañang asserted that President Rodrigo Duterte is not using Health Secretary Francisco Duque III as a scapegoat for the government's coronavirus disease (Covid-19) response lapses.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque dismissed claims by Senator Leila de Lima that Duque was kept as a "whipping boy" amidst the pandemic.
Roque acknowledged that many people inquire why the President hasn't blamed Duque, but stated that Duterte has never treated him as such.
According to Roque, Secretary Duque continues to have the President's trust and confidence.
Duterte believes that as long as mistakes made by Duque were in good faith, there is no reason to lose confidence in him.
Topics in this story
Explore more stories about these topics.
🤖
This story was generated by AI to help you understand the key points. For more detailed coverage, please see the news articles from trusted media outlets below.
News Sources
See how different news organizations are covering this story. Below are the original articles from various Philippine news sources that contributed to this summary.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III corrected his earlier statement about the Philippines' COVID-19 infection curve flattening, clarifying that he realized he made a mistake rather than being reprimanded.
Read more →
House Minority Leader Benny Abante Jr. has given President Rodrigo Duterte a "passing grade" for his performance amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but stressed that accountability is needed from underperforming agencies.
Read more →
President Rodrigo Duterte lauded the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases and the National Task Force Against COVID-19 for their dedicated efforts in managing the pandemic and ensuring public safety.
Read more →