President Rodrigo Duterte has no plans to accept the resignation of Health Secretary Francisco Duque should he do so again.
In his Talk to the People, Duterte said that Duque has twice tried to resign.
“Alam ko gusto mo nang mag-resign, pero alam mo rin na tatanggihan kita ngayon. Noon you have attempted to resign twice. I expect you to say something to me after this, mag-resign ka. Sabihin ko sa iyo, hindi,” Duterte told Duque.
According to the President, Duque is doing nothing, and if there are any missing funds in the DOH, complainants should go to the Supreme Court and file a lawsuit.
“Wala ka namang ginawang masama. Bakit ka mag-resign? Kung hanapin nila diyan kung mayroon silang makita. In the end, if you find that there is — mga nawala diyan, mga 500 pesos, eh ‘di magdemanda kayo, punta ng Supreme Court. The Supreme Court will be a fair arbiter of things,” said Duterte.
Duterte made this statement amid a report released by the Commission on Audit that there are “deficiencies” in the P67.3 billion funding for the COVID-19 response administered by the DOH.
Duterte said the report should not be believed because he himself promised to protect the people including the people’s money.
Duterte will not accept Duque’s resignation
“Huwag kayong maniwala ng ganoon. Ako mismo Presidente, ako mismo nangako na I will protect you, people, it includes your money. Do you think papayag ako na may isa dito sa Cabinet member magnakaw maski 1,000? You really think that I would allow it?” said Duterte.
Duterte also defended the Department of Health (DOH), which the COA criticized for “deficiency” in spending more than P60 billion in pandemic funds.
“Stop that flagging, goddamn it. You make a report, do not flag. Do not publish it because it will condemn the agency or the person that you are flagging,” said Duterte.
“‘Wag naman, sige kayo, flag nang flag, flag nang flag. Tapos wala namang napreso, wala namang lahat. And yet you know that when you flag, there is already a taint of corruption by perception. Alam ninyong emergency ito. It is a matter of life and death. You have to understand and give it a little elbow room to move,” said Duterte.
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