Robredo: Government failed to 'act urgently' at the onset of COVID-19 crisis
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo on Thursday said the government response was lacking at the onset of the COVID-19 crisis.
"We didn't act urgently when the pandemic broke out. That's why we're catching up instead of having the same experience as other countries. China could have been a lesson for us," Robredo told ANC's Headstart.
The vice president added that it took so long for the government to procure personal protective equipment (PPEs) because it was competing with other countries, while her office was able to have them made locally at a lower cost.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, who is currently being investigated by the Office of Ombudsman for his handling of the crisis, earlier said that the Philippines was not late in buying PPEs. Instead, he claimed that other countries were just ahead.
Robredo on Thursday said that "early and late are relative — but if someone was ahead of us, then we were late."
The vice president also weighed in on calls for Duque to take a leave while the ombudsman's investigation on him and other health officials is ongoing.
"It's hard to change a general in the middle of a war. I hear what Ombudsman [Samuel] Marites is coming from but for me, let's just change what we're doing. I hope the DOH becomes more open to criticism, and more open to partnership with the private sector," Robredo said in a mix of English and Filipino.
However, she added that Duque should go if he is unwilling to listen and that it is his responsibility to "make people feel that this is all our fight."
The Palace has said that it is up to the health secretary to decide if he should take a leave amid the investigation or not.
As of this writing, there are 32,295 cases of COVID-19 and a death toll of 1,204 in the Philippines.
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