By Myris Lee
Department of Health (DOH) outgoing secretary Francisco Duque III said that he had no regrets on his second stint as the state health secretary, though he considered it as the most difficult job he has ever held.
Duque’s first stint as the DOH chief was during the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He also led the Civil Service Commission under the second Aquino administration.
“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,” he said during a TV interview.
“I can always say I tried my best, I did my best. Kung ‘di po sapat, pasensiya na po, ibigay na lang natin sa susunod at marami pang magaling diyan na secretaries,” he added.
Duque did not also regret transferring funds to the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) to procure COVID-19 equipment, saying that more lives could have been lost if he did otherwise.
“This is a whole 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. – ag
