President Rodrigo Duterte will neither fire nor ask Health Secretary Francisco Duque III to take a leave of absence for supposedly breaching the law prohibiting conflict of interest, the Palace said Wednesday.
“Because it is still under investigation. When the President sacks you from your position, it means there is already a probable cause,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo told reporters.
Panelo previously said Duque still enjoys the trust and confidence of the Chief Executive despite allegations hurled against him due to his family firm’s dealings with government.
In his privilege speech Monday night, Senator Panfilo Lacson said that Duque’s pharmaceutical company, Doctors Pharmaceuticals Inc., bagged two government contracts for the supply of medicine to public hospitals.
The firm has reportedly earned millions of pesos from these contracts.
The company has also reportedly entered into a leasing agreement with the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. in Pangasinan.
Duque distanced himself from the issue, saying he “had nothing to do” with the contracts.
He said he had divested from the company in 2006 and said he was not involved in the affairs of his family firm during his time as a private citizen.
