The motion recalling the adoption of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability’s report was approved during Wednesday’s plenary session.
Committee chairman Mike Aglipay explained the panel will conduct more hearings to get Duque’s side since he was absent in previous hearings.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 26)— The House of Representatives has recalled the move to recommend criminal charges against Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque over the government’s policies on COVID-19 treatment.
“The House of Representatives has always followed the rule of law. And in the Constitution [is] enshrined the principle of due process,” Aglipay said in a statement. “The resource persons remain such and cannot be respondents unless they are able to attend all hearings and defend themselves.”
In its earlier report, the House panel recommended charges against both Duque and resigned Food and Drug Administration chief Eric Domingo. It said the two violated the Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Executive Order 292 or the Administrative Code of 1987.
It remains unclear if the recommendations against Domingo will stay.
What lawmakers said in their report
Lawmakers pinned Duque for the Department of Health’s supposed inconsistency in adopting the World Health Organization’s recommendations on the use of certain drugs to treat COVID-19.
They noted that while the DOH advised against the use of ivermectin for COVID-19, it recommended the use of remdesivir for treating COVID patients despite contradictory advice from the WHO.
“Members of the Committee and medical experts also lamented the openly negative view of DOH and FDA on ivermectin despite the different levels of evidence that have been presented on the effectiveness and safety of ivermectin,” said the 55-page committee report.
The DOH has repeatedly said there’s not enough evidence to prove ivermectin’s effectiveness in treating COVID-19, saying this could even lead to harmful effects. The FDA also warned that the use of ivermectin veterinary products for COVID-19 should be avoided since their benefits and safety have not been established.
The WHO said evidence on the use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19 patients is inconclusive. Until more data is available, WHO recommends that the drug only be used within clinical trials.
Solons also questioned the DOH reliance on recommendations from the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases on drugs that should be given emergency use authorization for COVID-19.
They claimed the society had “excessive influence” over the policies and decisions of the agencies. They said the DOH and FDA adopted the Living Clinical Practice Guidelines without any review or update based on the latest information from WHO, therefore neglecting their duties and showing a lack of professionalism.
“This presents a great danger considering most clinicians simply adhere to the recommendations of the DOH, which is of course accountable to the people for the policies and issuances it lays down,” the solons said.
The House panel added DOH and FDA failed to regulate the supply and prices of drugs used for COVID-19 treatment.
The committee also recommended the filing of charges against Duque, Domingo and FDA Director Joyce Cirunay for violating the Ease of Doing Business Act for their alleged failure to approve drug companies’ applications for automatic renewal within the prescribed period.
Domingo said he performed his duties as FDA chief while ensuring that only safe and effective drugs are approved for use of Filipinos.
“All applications for COVID drugs were evaluated properly and approved in a timely manner based on scientific evidence of quality, safety and efficacy,” he told CNN Philippines.
CNN Philippines correspondent Xianne Arcangel contributed to this report.
