Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Secretary Emmanuel Piñol on Thursday called for unity among government officials amid the 2019 coronavirus disease (Covid-19) crisis.
“Everybody should be a leader and a follower as well. It matters not who does what. What is important is that we all achieve a common goal, to save our people from this pandemic and imminent danger of food shortage,” Piñol said in a Facebook post on Thursday.
Piñol issued the statement after a friend told him about a fellow government official’s complaint that MinDA is supposedly encroaching on his “territory” and assigned tasks.
He said it was only natural for MinDA to be visible in the government’s Covid-19 response, as it is a coordinating agency for all Mindanao concerns — from agriculture to health, tourism to economic development, infrastructure to security issues, environment to poverty alleviation.
“To say that I was appalled and scandalized is an understatement. As we face the Covid-19 crisis, MinDA is coordinating inter-agency efforts to address health and food security concerns. I simply cannot believe that in the difficult times that we are in, some people are still engrossed with the thought of who gets the credit,” he said.
During a time of crisis, Piñol said there is no need to bicker “or to be obsessed with who would look good to President Rody Duterte and the people.”
“I do not need to be patted on the back or praised by the President. Let us set aside our insecurities and work as one,” he added. (PNA)
