The doctors in the Philippines have rejected the apology of presidential spokesman Harry Roque as insincere over attack on a doctor for warning that relaxing COVID-19 lock down could lead to further spike in infections.
“Unfortunately, I could not feel the sincerity of his apology,” said College of Physicians (PCP) president Dr. Maricar Limpin.
“The apology should not be directed to me or to my companion Dr. Tony Dans, but to the entire health force because we were at the IATF [meeting] as representatives of the healthcare workforce,” she added.
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Alongside Limpin several other groups of health workers have urged on the President to sack Roque for his outburst that was caught on video and has been widely circulated online.
“Before you speak, you should get your facts straight. For a presidential spokesperson, it is important that [any comment] should be based on facts, not just on impressions,” she said.
“We hope you will be very conscious of your actions because as a spokesperson, you are representing the President,” she added.
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Roque was seen shouting and wagging his finger in the video at a group of doctors during an online meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).
Dr. Antonio Dans, convener of the Healthcare Professional Alliance Against COVID-19 (HPAAC) was also present in the meeting.
Dans said he has to apologize to the whole of the healthcare workforce, not just to us. (AW)
