MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte has vouched for the integrity of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and other officials in the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) despite an ongoing probe by the Office of the Ombudsman. ADVERTISEMENT“I just want to tell this to the people, with due respect to the Ombudsman, the Honorable [Samuel Martires]. Recently, the Ombudsman sought documents in relation to the two issues mentioned. The government’s COVID-19 response has been criticized often for various problems — like the lack of mass testing, delays in the provision of social aid, and failure to ban inbound flights earlier. Read NextEDITORS' PICKMOST READ

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer June 22, 2020 16:07 UTC