Duterte Defends Why Former Military Officials Lead COVID-19 Fight, Not Health Experts
MILITARY LEADING COVID-19 FIGHT – President Rodrigo Duterte defends why he chose former military officials and not health experts to lead the country’s pandemic response.
For most people, choosing public health experts to solve a public health issue is a no-brainer. However, for President Rodrigo Duterte, you don’t need to be a public health expert to lead the fight against COVID-19.
During his late night public address on Wednesday, the president explained:
This is a mechanical act. It is not a study of medicine. Parang transaction sa negosyo..
You need not be a doctor here, because you are transacting a business. It is not really a matter of medical science that you are talking of
Currently, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana leads the National Task Force Against COVID-19. Meanwhile, former Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Secretary Eduardo Año is the vice chairman. Along with this, Duterte also created several czars to address specific issues regarding the pandemic.
Among these is Carlito Galvez Jr, another Former AFP Chief was given the position of Vaccine Czar. Additionally, the President also appointed Roy Cimatu to oversee the coronavirus response in Cebu back in 2020.
Previously, the Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19 had Dr. Tony Leachon as its primary advisor. However, due to internal conflict, the IATF benched Leachon.
Initially, Leachon critiqued Chief Implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr for “losing focus” on its priorities on the COVID-19 response. Three days later, Leachon was forced to vacate his post.
As of writing, the Philippines hare reported over 684,311 COVID-19 cases. But, with the arrival of vaccines, the country hopes to curb the spread. But, despite the vaccines, the Philippines recently broke all-time high records of daily COVID-19 infections.
READ ALSO: Duterte Speaks About Philippines’ “Purchased” COVID-19 Vaccines
