President Rodrigo Duterte congratulates Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado on his appointment to the government, following an oath-taking ceremony at the Malacañang Palace on Aug. 5, 2019. King Rodriguez, Presidential Photo/File
MANILA— Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado has resigned for health reasons, Malacañang said on Friday, after the official's recent bout with COVID-19.
President Rodrigo Duterte "has accepted Sec. Wendel Avisado’s resignation due to medical reasons," said Palace Spokesman Harry Roque.
Avisado earlier this August went on sick leave for a medical check-up after he contracted the novel coronavirus.
He suffered severe COVID-19 symptoms, was hospitalized for 10 days and quarantined for 34 days.
Aside from this, he said his doctors advised him to undergo a "thorough medical examination...because it’s been 14 years now since my quadruple open heart bypass operation in January 2007."
The President designated Undersecretary Tina Rose Marie Canda as officer-in-charge of the budget department, Roque said in a statement.
Roque earlier said the budget department assured the public its services would "remain unhampered."
"Rest assured that the DBM remains steadfast and committed to its mandate of promoting the efficient and effective management of the national budget to support its budget priorities especially in the midst of the pandemic," the agency said.
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