Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque questioned the timing of Senator Manny Pacquiao’s accusation that there is corruption in the Department of Health (DOH) amid the pandemic.
“Sa akin po, absent po siguro si Senator Pacquiao nung nagprisinta yung mga Cabinet secretaries, or kung hindi siya absent he may have been preoccupied with something else,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in an interview on state-run PTV-4.
(Senator Pacquiao must have been absent or preoccupied with something else when Cabinet secretaries discussed how the government would address the pandemic.)
“Nandun nga po siya nung naghi-hearing ang Senado at kung meron siyang mga tanong na ibinato kay Secretary Duque nung mga pagkakataon na ‘yun,” Roque added.
(Senator Pacquiao attended the Senate hearing on this, and he could have asked Secretary Duque when he had that chance.)
Roque: Pacquiao might be absent when Cabinet presented COVID-19 response
“[Si] Pacquiao, salita nang salita na three times daw tayo mas corrupt [kumpara sa Aquino admin]. So I am challenging him, ituro mo ang opisina na corrupt at ako na ang bahala. Within one week may gawain ako,” said Duterte.
“[If] you fail to do that, I will campaign against you because you are not doing your duty. Do it because if not, I will tell the people: ‘Do not vote for Pacquiao because he is a liar.’”
The senator then accepted the challenge and pointed to the Department of Health as he questioned how Health Secretary Francisco Duque III spent the funds for the pandemic response.
Duque answered DOH has “always been transparent and cooperative to auditing efforts within the government.”
“While we are disheartened by these baseless accusations from our government officials, we submit ourselves to inquiries from legislators as this is a part of the checks and balances in our government,” Duque said in a statement Tuesday.
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