Kinontra ni Health Secretary Francisco Duque III ang inihayag kamakailan ni Senator Panfilo Lacson, na sangkot umano ang kalihim sa kontrobersiya sa pondo ng Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

“For the record and information of the honorable Senator Panfilo Lacson, this case was already dismissed by the Ombudsman in 2012 and dismissed with finality by the Supreme Court in 2013 due to the lack of evidence,” saad sa pahayag ni Duque.

Sa isang Twitter post, pinaalalahanan ni Lacson si Pangulong Duterte na sangkot umano ang kalihim sa diversion ng pondo ng OWWA upang mabayaran ang mga PhilHealth cards noong 2004. Si Duque ang nagsilbing presidente ng PhilHealth noong 2001 hanggang 2005, sa termino ni Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

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Sinabi ni Duque na ang nasabing isyu ay natalakay na sa confirmation hearings niya para sa chairmanship ng Civil Service Commission noong 2010, at bilang kalihim ng Department of Health (DoH) noong 2018.

“The Commission of Appointments, which Senator Lacson was a part of, agreed that these claims are baseless and consequently approved my appointment as Health Secretary,” ani Duque.

Ayon kay Duque, sa nakalipas na mahigit 20 taon ng kanyang serbisyo-publiko, hindi siya kailanman napatunayang nagkasala sa anumang katiwalian.

“Simply because I hold integrity as my core principle,” sabi ni Duque. “It is my sincere hope that information like this that may damage one’s reputation is verified first before being narrated to the public to avoid confusion. It is also my sincere hope that this puts the issue to rest.

“I will continue to work with excellence and integrity in the service of the Filipino people,” dagdag ni Duque.