Quandary: Health and economic leadership

As the country reached the grim milestone of 1 million total COVID-19 cases, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said that “we have to look at it from the more optimistic lens of getting a high recovery rate at more than 90 percent.”

This man, who has gone out carrying a meter stick to “enforce” social distancing with full media coverage, has been continually insulting us Filipinos with his toxic positivity, let alone his incompetence which has been seen at different points in our beleaguered pandemic narrative.

Duque, who has been coddled by his equally deplorable principal, President Duterte, has remained unfazed despite numerous calls for his resignation. Of course, Duque’s resignation would not magically bring down COVID-19 cases, but his removal from his post would allow for at least some sort of cleansing and change of direction in the Department of Health. I feel bad for our health workers who toil night and day, only to be led by someone who has no qualms remaining in his post despite valid criticisms.

Unless the problems are seen as not only health and economic problems, but more so a leadership problem that continues to praise itself to the point of delusion, then we are indeed doomed.

EDWARD JOSEPH H. MAGUINDAYAO