Manila – The Malacañang is investigating allegations of conflict of interest against Department of Health (DOH) secretary Francisco Duque.
Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said that they are looking into graft and plunder complaints against Duque after his family firm bagged two government contracts to supply medicine in public hospitals.
“The SOP (standard operating procedure) is any complaint, as the President says, that reaches his table, will always be subject of a serious investigation by the Office of the President,” Panelo said.
“Any allegation against any member of the Cabinet or against any official of the government of corruption or conflict of interest or any act illegal is always a serious concern of the office of the President,” he added.
Panelo, however, said that President Rodrigo Duterte still trusts Duque pending results of the Office of the President’s investigation.
“He (Duque) has responded to the questions of the issue of propriety so if there are complaints against him, investigation will be undertaken and until such time that there is no definite finding of any act which is in violation of the law, Secretary of Health still has the trust and confidence of the President,” Panelo said.
Senator Panfilo Lacson said in an article that came out at Philippine Daily Inquirer that two supply contracts bagged by Doctors Pharmaceuticals Inc. (DPI) lasted until October 2017, when President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Duque as health secretary.
Duque explained that DPI had a contract with Philippine International Trading Corp. Pharma Inc., which he said was under the Department of Trade and Industry and not the Department of Health.
Duque also said that he was not in any way involved on his family firm during his time as a private citizen since he was “too busy” managing his family’s university in Dagupan./PN
still trusts Duque pending results of the Office of the President’s investigation.
“He (Duque) has responded to the questions of the issue of propriety so if there are complaints against him, investigation will be undertaken and until such time that there is no definite finding of any act which is in violation of the law, Secretary of Health still has the trust and confidence of the President,” Panelo said.
Senator Panfilo Lacson said in an article that came out at Philippine Daily Inquirer that two supply contracts bagged by Doctors Pharmaceuticals Inc. (DPI) lasted until October 2017, when President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Duque as health secretary.
Duque explained that DPI had a contract with Philippine International Trading Corp. Pharma Inc., which he said was under the Department of Trade and Industry and not the Department of Health.
Duque also said that he was not in any way involved on his family firm during his time as a private citizen since he was “too busy” managing his family’s university in Dagupan./PN
