Francisco Duque III

In June 2001, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo appointed Duque as President & CEO of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).[3] As President of PhilHealth, he initiated and directed PhilHealth's Plan 500/GMA Indigent Program which fast tracked the enrollment of 500,000 urban poor beneficiaries into the National Health Insurance Plan (NHIP) in one (1) year.[5] By 2003, indigent enrollment from the NHIP initiative totalled 8 million beneficiaries. President Arroyo presented PhilHealth as a showcase of her administration's successes through the successful enrollment of 5.9 million families or 29,901,890 beneficiaries in the NHIP by 2004.[6]

On June 1, 2005, President Arroyo appointed Duque as Secretary of the Department of Health because of his efficient leadership at the helm of PhilHealth.[7] As DOH Secretary, the agency achieved many impressive breakthroughs and milestones regarding public health care that helped DOH earn high approval ratings.[8] During his tenure, the World Health Organization (WHO) cited the Philippines for being one of only three nations that had excellent risk communication strategies against the deadly AH1N1 virus.[8] His five-year stewardship of the DOH was also marked by quick and stable response efforts against various health emergencies and disasters such as the Guimaras oil spill (2005), the Leyte Guinsaugon landslide (2006), St. Andrew's School mercury spill (2006), melamine-laced milk products (2008), Typhoon Ondoy (2009) and the Ebola Reston in pigs (2009).[8] Duque also served concurrently as the Anti-Hunger Czar via his role as Chair of the National Nutrition Council (NNC), tasked by the President to oversee the implementation of the hunger mitigation programs of 27 government agencies.[9] He was also appointed Presidential Oversight Chair of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).[8]

On January 11, 2010, Duque was appointed as the Chairman of the Civil Service Commission (CSC).[10] By March 9, 2010, Chairman Duque was named Vice-Chairman of the Career Executive Service Board (CESB).[6] During his time as CSC Chairman, Duque was pivotal in developing the CSC Roadmap for Development and Reforms for 2010–15, a five-year blueprint that details the priority programs of CSC for the country's 1.4 million civil servants.[11] Duque's other landmark programs included the Strategic Performance Management System (SPMS), Botika Para sa Taumbayan, Contact Center ng Bayan, and the CSC Computerized Examination System or COMEX.[6]

Under Duque's Chairmanship, the CSC was conferred the "Governance Trailblazer Seal" after it achieved the highest compliance rating of 9.03 at the Performance Governance System (PGS) Revalida on October 14, 2011.[12] Under his chairmanship, the CSC got the highest rating, with 98 percent of clients saying they were satisfied with the services they received from the CSC based on a Pulse Asia survey which covered the period October 24 to November 17, 2011.[13]

Duque was appointed Chairman of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte in 2017.[14] As chairman, he began laying the groundwork for various reforms to strengthen the government corporation. However, barely one year after his appointment to GSIS, President Duterte appointed Duque as DOH Secretary once more. Upon his assumption of office as DOH Secretary on November 6, 2017, he became the first returning health chief of the agency since the reappointment of Health Secretary Paulino Garcia in the 1960s.[15]

Duque, as Health Secretary, has led reforms in improving the information technology system of PhilHealth to safeguard against fraudulent claims and other forms of cybercrime.[16] Duque has also been an outspoken champion for raising vaccination rates among children and youth to combat highly contagious diseases such as polio and measles.[17] He has urged parents, health workers, and local governments to fully participate in the synchronized polio vaccination in order to stop the disease.[18]

Duque moved for the historic passage of two major pieces of legislation – the Universally Accessible, Affordable Quality Medicine Act of 2008 and the Food and Drug Administration Law of 2009.

On July 29, 2019, in his privilege speech, Senator Panfilo Lacson accused Duque of an alleged conflict of interest as Secretary of the Department of Health.[19] Lacson claimed that the companies of Duque's siblings, Doctors’ Pharmaceutical (DPI) and Educational and Medical Development Corporation (EMDC), continued to have contracts with government agencies despite Duque taking positions in government.[20] According to Lacson, DPI continued to earn millions of pesos from the government through the lease of an EMDC building for the use of the Philippine Health Corporation Regional Office 1 in Dagupan City.[20]

During a hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on August 14, 2019, Duque denied any conflict of interest in his part.[21] Duque emphasized that DPI has been partnering with the government since 1946 and was already a primary provider of anti-TB vaccines by 1996, the first time he acquired shares from the company.[21] Also, according to Duque, he has already divested all personal interests with DPI since 2005.[22] As such, there can be no conflict of interest under RA 6713 because Duque has no personal interest in the company.

In EMDC's case, Duque reiterated that the lease of the EMDC property was advantageous to the government because it allowed the Philhealth Region I Office to move out of a building that was declared a fire hazard.[23] Also, the lease went to the proper procurement process and the directive of leasing office space is managed by the Regional Vice President of PhilHealth, and not the Board in which he was an ex-officio member.[23] Duque also informed then PhilHealth CEO Alex Padilla in 2013 about his shares and was not ordered to divest, thus implying that there was no conflict of interest.[23]

Secretary Duque was at the helm of the Department of Health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the outbreak in the Philippines, while cases were surging in Hubei, China, Secretary Duque told House members during Question Hour at the House of Representatives that while a temporary ban on Chinese tourists has been among the options being studied by government to dodge the deadly nCoV disease, there may be serious “political and diplomatic repercussions” with such a move.[24] As Philippine cases (local transmission) increased and with limited testing capacity, he justified the violation of COVID-19 testing protocols.[25] Under his leadership, the Philippines was only able to perform 1,000 tests per day to service the 105 million Filipinos nationwide.[26]

On March 19, 2020, Secretary Duque underwent home quarantine after one of its officials was infected with COVID-19. He was tested for COVID-19 because he is asthmatic and hypertensive, according to a text message by Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.[27][28] Three days later, on March 22, 2020, the results tested negative.[29][30]

In a press briefing held on April 9, 2020, Secretary Duque noted that the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Philippines is relatively “low” compared to other countries, despite limited testing. Duque's statements ran contrary to those earlier released by the Department of Health (DOH). His special assistant, Beverly Ho, earlier said in a virtual press briefing that the impact of the ECQ would only be learned by mid-April as it was too early to tell whether it had a role in curbing the spread of the coronavirus. Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire also said that, before the “true picture” of the COVID-19 pandemic could be determined, the testing capacity of the country must first stabilize —meaning it must be able to conduct 8,000 to 10,000 COVID-19 tests a day.[31]

Due to lack of leadership and transparency, the Health chief was heavily criticized for his performance in responding to the coronavirus disease pandemic in the country. Consequently, at least 15 senators filed Senate Resolution No. 362 on April 16, 2020, to revoke his position.[32][33] On the other hand, the health secretary urged the League of Provinces of the Philippines to rally the governors to the war against COVID-19 and in establishing a “new normal” afterward. He said the 5-point strategy of the DOH is to: 1) Increase resilience, 2) Stop Transmission, 3) Reduce Contact Rate, 4) Shorten Duration of Infectiousness, and 5) Enhance Quality, Consistency, and Affordability of Care Provision.[34] Despite all, the president stood by Duque advicing not to dwell on criticisms and issues being hurled against him. The secretary has then expressed appreciation for the president's vote of confidence.[35]