Neil
On Wednesday, Tony Leachon admitted in a tweet that he is no longer the special adviser of the National COVID Task Force.
This development upset some netizens.
“It’s with deepest regret that I announce that I am not anymore the Special Adviser of National (Task Force) -COVID 19 effective today.
I have my full respect for Sec. Charlie Galvez & we will remain as good friends. Lots of good memories. But I have to move on,” he said in a tweet.
It’s with deepest regret that I announce that I am not anymore the Special Adviser of National Adviser -COVID 19 effective today.I have my full respect for Sec. Charlie Galvez & we will remain as good friends. Lots of good memories. But I have to move on. 🇵🇭#RelentlessForChange
— Tony Leachon MD (@DrTonyLeachon) June 17, 2020
He also said that the reason why he left NTF was due to the differences in the policies implemented by DOH, mentioning the department’s lack of sense of urgency, data management, and transparency.
I left NTF due to the my differences with DOH policies eg. Lack of sense of urgency , problems in COVID data management , and transparency in communication process. That’s life. That’s how it is. There’s a silver lining though . Thank you very much.
— Tony Leachon MD (@DrTonyLeachon) June 17, 2020
“I left NTF due to my differences with DOH policies eg. Lack of sense of urgency, problems in COVID data management, and transparency in the communication process. That’s life. That’s how it is. There’s a silver lining though. Thank you very much,” he said.
The dismissal of Dr. Leachon caused netizens to become upset by the loss of a competent government official.
After breaking ranks, Dr Tony Leachon was let go. Typical of this regime. What's new? https://t.co/hR9Ltobh2P
— JC Punongbayan (@jcpunongbayan) June 17, 2020
https://twitter.com/aussieangelic/status/1273172545857085442
https://twitter.com/pandemicblues/status/1273192811769159681
Dr. Tony leachon is a trillion times better than the DOH's current secretary. He was removed from his post because he bravely criticised the administration? 🤷♀️🤦♂️ https://t.co/MkTt4psE0w
— SM Fundati🪬n (@fugou) June 17, 2020
https://twitter.com/sasharamos_/status/1273194991540563968
https://twitter.com/bimbyshark/status/1273151117631918080
Meanwhile, according to the report of GMA News reporter Joseph Morong, Dr. Leachon said that the reason he was asked to resign was because of his tweets.
National Task Force adviser Dr. Tony Leachon says he was asked to resign after several tweets on the DOH handling of the COVID-19 pandemic did not sit well with Pres'l Spox Harry Roque and DOH Sec. Francisco Duque III @gmanews
— Joseph Morong 🇵🇭 (@Joseph_Morong) June 17, 2020
“National Task Force adviser Dr. Tony Leachon says he was asked to resign after several tweets on the DOH handling of the COVID-19 pandemic did not sit well with Pres’l Spox Harry Roque and DOH Sec. Francisco Duque III,” Morong shared in a tweet.
Recently, Dr. Leachon made several controversial tweets expressing discontent with DOH’s response to the pandemic.
One of his controversial tweets is when he talked about the “truth”.
Most of us avoid telling the truth because it's uncomfortable.We're afraid of the consequences-making others feel uncomfortable, hurting their feelings or risking their anger.And yet, when we don't tell the truth, and others don't tell us the truth, we can't deal with reality.
— Tony Leachon MD (@DrTonyLeachon) June 15, 2020
“Most of us avoid telling the truth because it’s uncomfortable. We’re afraid of the consequences—making others feel uncomfortable, hurting their feelings, or risking their anger. And yet, when we don’t tell the truth, and others don’t tell us the truth, we can’t deal with reality,” he said.
It seems that the government, specifically DOH, cannot handle criticisms as these tweets were not liked by Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.
Netizens earlier clamored for the resignation of Roque and Duque due to their incompetence and irresponsibility. But instead, the government fired a significant and accountable official, Dr. Leachon.
