Coronavirus adviser quits over social media posts

MANILA, Philippines — In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Dr. Anthony Leachon announced his resignation as special adviser to the National Task Force (NTF) against COVID-19.

Leachon said chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. had told him on Tuesday night about the displeasure of presidential spokesperson Harry Roque and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III over his tweets and Facebook posts “on the DOH’s (Department of Health) lack of focus” in managing the health crisis.

“They did not like the manner that I communicate to the public as to the many lapses of the DOH … But I cannot stop myself from being transparent in terms of my communication to the public,” Leachon said, adding that his posts asking Duque to rest were just that, and not a call for him to resign as health secretary.

In a statement, Galvez said they had to let go of Leachon because “his preemptive releases of some information prior to official announcement jeopardized the communication efforts of the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases) and NTF, and caused unwarranted misunderstanding between two entities that should be working together.”

—Jeannette I. Andrade