MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has tasked Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu to oversee the government’s COVID-19 response in Cebu City which has recently seen a spike in coronavirus infections. ADVERTISEMENTIn a speech aired Monday night, Duterte said Cimatu, a former Armed Forces chief, will serve as an “adjunct” official for the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF). The President then called on the Department of Health, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the National Task Force against COVID-19 to assist Cimatu in fulfilling his new designation. Earlier this year, Duterte tasked Cimatu with coordinating the evacuation of overseas Filipino workers from the Middle East amid US-Iran tensions. Cimatu will be the latest former military officer to aid the government’s COVID-19 response, joining the likes of Secretary Carlito Galvez and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer June 22, 2020 15:09 UTC