SEVERAL senators yesterday took exception to a statement made by President Duterte last Monday night hailing Health Secretary Francisco Duque III as a “hero” in the country’s pandemic response.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III said: “That’s his (Duterte’s) opinion. To me, the frontliners are the heroes!”
Sen. Francis Pangilinan said it is only the President and his allies who believe that Duque is doing well in the fight against the deadly virus.
“‘Yung pagiging ‘excellent’ at pagiging ‘hero’ ni Duque dahil sa ‘good covid response’ palagay ko sila sila na lang ang naniniwala du’n (That Duque is ‘excellent’ and a ‘hero’ because of ‘good COVID response,’ they are the only ones who believe that),” Pangilinan said.
Sen. Grace Poe said frontliners who risk their lives to attend to COVID-positive patients should earn presidential praise, not Duque.
“Even as we all have been humbled by this health crisis, let us not deny our frontliners the recognition that rightfully belongs to them,” Poe said.
For Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, the frontliners, along with vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, and Sec. Vince Dizon should be hailed in the fight against the pandemic.
“This is a team effort. No one man can arrest a pandemic of this magnitude,” Gatchalian said.
At the onset of the pandemic last year, 14 senators called on Duque to resign for his alleged incompetent response against the pandemic. The senators’ plea, however, fell on deaf ears.
