Dispatch from Crame No. 856:
Sen. Leila M. de Lima on Duterte's Continued Tolerance of Sec. Duque and His Blunders

7/21/20

Aba'y bilib din ako dito kay Secretary Duque. Biruin mo, sa kabila ng sunod-sunod na kapalpakan tila buo pa rin ang tiwala sa kanya ng kanyang amo. Hindi daw ito nasabon ng Presidente sa kanyang pahayag na naipatag na natin ang kurba ng pandemya bagamat kitang-kita ng lahat - kahit mga malalabo ang mata - na patuloy ang pagtaas nito. Walastik na kapangyarihan ng agimat yan! Everyone is wondering just what makes Sec. Duque so special that he gets to move on completely unscathed despite his countless and consequential blunders. Every mistake he has made has led us to where we stand today - surpassing UP's 60k prediction, overwhelmed hospitals, over-fatigued medical healthcare workers, and the citizenry's distrust. Please naman: don't turn the Filipinos' miseries into a travesty.

Buhay ang nakasalalay, isang maling galaw buhay ang mawawala. Wasn't that one of the very first lessons taught in medical school? Why is Sec. Duque too insensible, too injudicious? On the other hand, why is President Duterte too lenient with his subordinates, but overly callous and intolerant towards the Filipino people? Double standards lang ba yan, o split-brain ka, Ginoong Duterte?

My guess is the President just needs a whipping boy for the tragedy that they themselves have brought to our nation. Kaya siguro hindi niyo matanggal-tanggal para laging may masisisi ang taumbayan. Is that your strategy? Have we cracked the code? So basically, you are letting Sec. Duque act as captain of the sinking ship so that he can be this administration's fall guy? Incompetent Duterte is hiding under the skirt of Duque while the latter is more than happy to oblige!

Mabuti sana kung kayo-kayo lang ang malulunod kaso dinadamay nyo kami sa kapalpakan nyo eh! Mahiya naman kayo!

(Access the handwritten copy of Dispatch from Crame No. 856 here: https://issuu.com/senatorleilam.delima/docs/dispatch_no._856)