MANILA, Philippines — Health Secretary Francisco Duque III still enjoys President Rodrigo Duterte's trust and confidence for now, Malacañang said Thursday, as the health chief faces calls for him to quit because of his supposed inefficient handling of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis.
Fifteen senators,many of them close allies of President Duterte, have filed a resolution seeking the immediate resignation of Duque, citing his alleged "failure of leadership" that they said resulted in poor planning, misguided policies, and delayed response to COVID-19.
Related Stories
The senators claimed Duque's negligence, lack of foresight and inefficiency also led to lack of transparency and "misguided and flip-flopping" policies and measures that endangered the lives of frontliners and the Filipino people.
"As I have been repeatedly saying in the past, every Cabinet member serves at the pleasure of the President and until they are fired by the President, the President continues to have full trust and confidence in them," presidential spokesman Harry Roque said at a press briefing.
The Palace has routinely said this whenever there are calls for a government official to resign although this does not mean that official will not be removed or asked to resign. Duterte has often announced orders for officials to resign in the middle of his speeches and addresses.
Roque said the Palace had nothing to do with the calls for Duque to step down from his post.
"We do not have any position (on the resignation calls). We do not have anything to do with these initiatives seeking the resignation of the secretary of health," the Palace spokesman said.