Duterte backs Duque amid Senate criticisms over nCoV handling

President Duterte still trusts and supports DOH Secretary Francisco Duque despite criticisms from senators over the department's handling of the novel coronavirus situation.

Senators criticized Duque for not having detailed information about visitors from Wuhan City who were undergoing contact tracing, but Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles defended Duque, saying it was an unfair allegation.

Duque responded to criticism by saying that 'heads will roll' within the DOH's Epidemiology Bureau due to gaps in identifying people who may have been exposed to the virus.

Senators Kiko Pangilinan and Panfilo Lacson accused the DOH of a 'failure of leadership', citing incomplete contact tracing efforts, with only 17 percent of passengers on flights with confirmed cases having been contacted.

Duque explained that airlines' refusal to disclose passenger information due to data privacy laws was hindering contact tracing efforts.