Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 7) — President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday asked an OCTA Research fellow if he is fine with replacing Francisco Duque III as secretary of Health.
“I would be happy to appoint you as the secretary of Health if that is okay with you,” Duterte told Fr. Nicanor Austriaco in jest during a televised briefing after hearing the University of Santo Tomas (UST) researcher make a reassuring presentation about the Omicron variant.
However, the President noted Duque has expressed “a desire to rest after all the ruckus against him.”
He has been forcing the health chief to stay but the latter would be happy to give way, Duterte added.
Duque then chimed in, “Yes Mr. President. To another Thomasian.”
Austriaco is a Dominican priest and a noted molecular biologist, who earned his PhD in Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
He is currently part of a team that hopes to develop the first Filipino-made COVID-19 vaccine.
Duterte earlier defended Duque against issues hounding him, even rejecting calls to fire the embattled Cabinet secretary.
Austriaco declined the offer and said, “Secretary Duque is doing a fine job and he’s a Thomasian po.”
In a separate briefing on Tuesday, Duque stressed he serves “at the pleasure of the President.”
“We serve at the pleasure of the President… That is the President’s call, but tayo trabaho lang at masasabi ko lang [we continue to work and all I can say] is we remain focused, if not laser focused on the things that need to be done,” he said.
