MANILA – Despite defending him several times, Malacañang clarified that President Rodrigo Duterte is not absolving Health secretary Francisco Duque III from any wrongdoings.
Spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte still trusts Duque since the President has yet to see evidence if the Cabinet official was involved in the alleged irregularities within the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) as claimed by critics.
“Hindi niya ina-absolve. Hindi niya dini-discourage ‘yung mga pag-iimbestiga,” Roque said in a virtual press conference.
This came after the President said he could not find a “good reason to prosecute an innocent man.”
“Abogado po kasi si Presidente at ang sinasabi niya paulit-ulit wala po siyang nakikitang ebidensiya laban kay secretary Duque na naging dahilan kung bakit po patuloy ang kumpiyansa niya at tiwala,” he added.
“As a lawyer, he’s also open-minded to the fact na mayroon siyang binuo na task force. Mayroon po talagang kapangyarihan mag-imbestiga ang Senado at kung mayroon pong ebidensiya titingnan ni Presidente,” he furthered.
Duque, the chairperson of the PhilHealth Board, was not among those charged before the Office of the Ombudsman last week over PhilHealth’s Interim Reimbursement Mechanism (IRM).
In an earlier House hearing, Duque reiterated that he had no say in the IRM, even as the Senate Committee of the Whole recommended charges against him, among other PhilHealth officials, over the “improper and illegal implementation of the said system.
“I was impleaded on the IRM when I was not even part of the deliberation and did not sign the said resolution. Ni anino nung aking pirma ay hindi makita,” Duque said./PN
