MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – It came straight from the horse’s mouth — the horse being Secretary Martin Andanar: President Rodrigo Duterte is taking over the functions of the Presidential Communications Coordinating Office (PCOO) and the Department of Health (DOH).
Yesterday, Andanar proudly announced tht Duterte will help in the info drive on vaccination and that the government will fully enforce the immunization law.
Duterte’s move came in the wake of an outbreak in Measles in the National Capital Region and other areas of the country. Many have said that the outbreak is the result of parents refusing to have their children vaccinated for fear of serious risks similar to what happened in the botched Dengvaxia vaccination program launched by the PNoy administration. Some 800,000 schoolchildren were vaccinated with Dengvaxia.
The Adobo Chronicles reached out directly to Duterte — without the knowledge of Andanar and Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo — and he told us:
”Mga p*tang *nang mga yan. Laki ng pasahod ko sa kanila pero di nila ginagawa yung dapat na trabaho nila. Nagpapalaki lang sila ng mga b—— (inaudible).”
Does this signal the possibility that both Andanar and DOH Secretary Francisco Duque are on their way out?