PANGASINAN couldn’t be prouder of its son, Dr. Francisco T. Duque III, the country’s outgoing Health Secretary, he who single-mindedly led the nation’s campaign to beat the COVID-19 pandemic… and succeeded!

As one of the key and most trusted cabinet members of the Duterte government, it was not surprising that detractors of the president targeted him as the proxy political villain, from the onset of the Dengvaxia scandal that he inherited from the Aquino administration, and throughout the COVID pandemic that started in 2020.

His resignation was demanded on several occasions, citing his “poor leadership” and “lack of understanding” of the health issues that beset the country. But astute political pundits knew, all these all smacked of politically-motivated grandstanding vs. Mr. Duterte.

As expected, Sec. Duque’s numerous attempts at resignation were rejected by President Duterte. He plodded on and doggedly presided over the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging  Infectious Diseases and proved his detractors wrong.

And, his efforts paid off. While other countries continued to experience surges in COVID cases, Alert Level cases in the Philippines were down to Alert Level One!

This accomplishment was recently acknowledged by Nikkei Asia, the leading business news agency in Asia. It cited PH as one of only two Asian countries (the other is Vietnam) that effectively managed the COVID pandemic. His leadership bested those of China, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, etc. during the world’s most challenging time.

We are certain our kabaleyans join us in hailing him as our “Hero vs. COVID-19” as we welcome him home.

Time to retire

THE second round knockout inflicted by Japan’s Naoya Inoue on our very own Nonito Donaire on Tuesday was a terse statement on discretion issues.  It meant only one thing: Donaire must retire.  Now.  He doesn’t have it, anymore.  At age 39, Donaire is an old horse fit for the stud farm.  The 29-year-old Inoue, aptly monikered The Monster, was a butcher at work, who barely broke a sweat in stopping Donaire in just one minute and 24 seconds of the second round.  It was a totally expected ending, precipitated clearly by Inoue’s lightning-quick right to the temple that sent Donaire pitifully crashing down with a tick left in the first round.  There’s no shame in Donaire hanging up his gloves.  He has that secure legacy of four world division championships tucked under his belt, easily making him Hall of Fame material.

Grandmasters know when to resign. So do boxing champs.

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