Health Secretary Francisco Duque III will attend the Senate inquiry despite the order of President Rodrigo Duterte stopping his cabinet members from attending the probe on the government's purchase of COVID-19 response supplies.

"Earlier Secretary Duque told me he does not mind going to Congress because he is not hiding anything," Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said in a briefing on Monday.

"While the Cabinet officials appreciate the concern of the President, for purposes of transparency, they will still go to the Senate because they are not hiding anything," he added.

Just last week, Duterte ordered Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea to prepare a memorandum directing all the members of the executive department to no longer obey the subpoena of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.

During his Talk To The People last September 30, Duterte gave his directive in response to the Senator Richard Gordon's statement on the 10th Senate hearing that they will continue the inquiry "until kingdom come."

Duterte also directed the police and military to stay out of the crisis or not to follow the order of Gordon, if the lawmaker ordered the law enforcers to arrest his cabinet members for not attending the hearing. Robina Asido/DMS