Duque says 'no regrets' on second stint as health chief

Gillan Ropero, ABS-CBN News MANILA - Outgoing Health Secretary Francisco Duque said Monday he has "no regrets" about his latest stint as health chief, which he described as the "most difficult" government position he ever held. Duque earlier said he would return to his home province when asked if he would like to serve again as Department of Health chief. "It's the most difficult, the first time around I led the country in the AH1N1 pandemic... this is more difficult by a factor of 10. This is the most difficult position I ever held but I have no regrets. I did my best, I gave all whatever God gave me as a human being," he told ANC's Headstart "I can always say I tried my best, I did my best. Kung di po sapat, pasensya na po, ibigay na lang natin sa susunod at marami pang magaling dyan na secretaries." President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Duque as health chief in 2017 after the Commission on Appointments rejected Paulyn Ubial. Duque previously served as health chief from June 2005 to January 2010 under then-president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. He was also chairman of the Civil Service Commission during the Aquino administration. The health chief reiterated that he has "no regrets" on government's alleged anomalous transactions with Pharmally, the funds for which he transferred to the procurement service of the Department of Budget and Management. "This is a whole of government approach. I trusted the institution, I did not trust personalities. The DBM is the one that leads in the national expenditure. The PS-DBM is part of DBM. If I did not do what I did, we could've lost more lives," he said. Duque added that the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee had treated him and others involved in the Pharmally deal "unfairly." The committee had recommended to file charges against Duque, former government officials, and Pharmally officials for allegedly plundering public funds meant to address the pandemic. "We gave them all the documents, unfortunately, they did not include documents that countered their initial findings," he said He cited as an example that the DOH from 2015 to 2016 had personal protective equipment priced at P8,500 while the agency under Duque priced it at P2,000. "These PPEs were more complete than those purchased earlier. Hindi yan lumabas sa report (It was not released in the report)," he said. Meantime, the health agency will hand over to the next administration a "playbook that will consist of a compendium of 200 both published and unpublished COVID-19 response resolutions, policy issuances and guidelines," Duque said.

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