SEN. Panfilo Lacson on Monday said President Rodrigo Duterte could choose from among the 170,000 medical doctors to replace Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd.

The senator made the remark amid reports that the President is scouting for a new secretary of the Department of Health (DoH).

“There are at least 170,000 licensed physicians in the country who can be more competent and honest than him. They are all my candidates for [Duque’s] replacement,” Lacson said in a text message.

Asked to comment on the same issue, Senate President Vicente Sotto 3rd said, “I hope he picks one with [public] health expertise and [with] no business interests.”

Some senators earlier sought Duque’s resignation for allegedly mishandling the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

“More than saving the President from the burden that may bear upon him if and when he decides to replace Secretary Duque, I would like to think that we all deserve a better chance to live even under strict quarantine conditions,” Lacson said.

“Having said that, the secretary may consider taking the initiative to quit his post as an act of sacrifice, especially for the sake of those outside of the 868 dead Filipinos and 14,035 others so far confirmed by DoH as officially infected,” he added.

Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan said he looks forward to the appointment of a new DoH chief. “We hope the report is true. If true, then I’d say it’s better late than never.”

“We hope that the replacement will be someone with integrity who has not been tainted with corruption or overpricing of health programs, who puts the health and safety of the Filipino people as a priority amid the pandemic,” Pangilinan said.

Sen. Ana Theresia “Risa” Hontiveros also voiced hope that the President would decide soon “because while it is difficult to change horses midstream, it is equally difficult for the health bureaucracy to be left hanging on the fate of its leader.”

“We need someone who can inspire and rally people behind the government’s efforts against the virus. But the problem is bigger than the current Health secretary,” she said.

Lacson said, “Those people who did not even have the chance to be tested so they can be treated properly and not die in vain deserve an equal opportunity to be attended to by our health authorities.”

“But because of the inability of DoH to cover as many Filipinos who also deserve to be tested but otherwise left to their own devices due to the absence of contact tracing and other shortcomings, the rest of us become more vulnerable and exposed to the virus without even knowing it,” he added.