AFTER getting a mouthful from Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr., Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) president Dr. Maricar Limpin on Friday, September 10, 2021, called for his removal, saying his actions are a disservice to President Rodrigo Duterte and unbecoming of a high-ranking Palace official.
"It is not an action that is expected from a government official. Secretary Roque has to realize that, as the spokesperson of the President, he is basically representing the President. Therefore, any actions he makes, it is reflective of the President," Limpin said in a virtual interview with reporters.
"Personally, as far as I’m concerned, the President should actually remove him from office. Replace him because he is not doing service to our President," she added.
Limpin said Roque's actions can be also be seen as reflective of the administration's true view of the healthcare sector amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
"We were there as representatives of the healthcare workforce. He has to apologize to the whole of the healthcare workforce, not just to us. What he did is against all of us in the healthcare sector," said one of the convenors of the Healthcare Professional Alliance Against Covid-19 (HPAAC).
On Friday, a video of Roque's outburst during the September 7 meeting of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases. In the video, Roque can be seen as angrily berating doctors, saying they have never said anything good about the government response to the health crisis.
Limpin said she and the HPAAC were merely appealing to the government to reconsider its planned shift to general community quarantine (GCQ) in Metro Manila.
She said their request was for the reimposition and strict implementation of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila, where Covid-19 cases are rising because of the rapid transmission of the Delta variant.
"The two weeks might be able to help us reduce the number of cases. It will also be able to give us a chance to re-strategize again, and take a look at what we were doing that is right and what are the things we are doing that are not right. If we are doing something wrong, then we can correct it," related Limpin.
The Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) supported Limpin's call, saying it is not helping Duterte get brownie points from the healthcare sector.
According to AHW president Robert Mendoza, Roque should just resign after his actions against the doctors went viral.
"Sec Roque should resign from his post instead of insulting the people. His words and actions naturally reflects to the President," he said.
"What he did is infuriating! He has had several anti-healthcare workers statements recently," added Mendoza.
For its part, the Filipino Nurses United (FNU) said it only shows that Roque does not deserve to be elected as a senator.
It should be noted that Roque is among the initial list of senatorial candidates of the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) for the May 2022 elections.
"It's not good for a lawmaker to have that type of attitude," said FNU president Maristela Abenojar. (HDT / SunStar Philippines)