Malacañang clarified on Thursday that President Rodrigo Duterte did not reprimand Health Secretary Francisco Duque III regarding his recent statement on the curve flattening of the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases.
Duque claimed on Wednesday that the curve has been flattened since April, but eventually retracted his statement and clarified that that curve was bent.
“Wala pong pagsabon na nangyari. At ako naman noong matapos nangyari iyan, tumawag kaagad sa akin si Secretary Duque at sinabi nga niya na parang mali iyong salitang nagamit niya. Sabi ko, korekin lang natin (No reprimand took place. And Sec. Duque called me up right after. He told me he might have used the wrong word. I advised him to just correct it),” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque disclosed.
“Hindi naman po na-flatten, nabali at ang ibig sabihin niya, mukha talagang kumaunti ang kaso matapos tayong magkaroon ng ECQ at MECQ na kapareho rin ng sinabi ni Prof. Rye (It did not flatten but was bent. And he meant that the number of cases decreased after the ECQ and MECQ, just like what Prof. Rye said),” he added.
Roque previously said that as long as the health secretary remains in his post, the President still trusts him. – Report from Mela Lesmoras
