Ombudsman Suspends Top DOH Officials, Vergeire Says They’re Trustworthy
OMBUDSMAN SUSPENDS DOH OFFICIALS – Recently, the Office of the Ombudsman suspended five top officials of the health department over a pending case.
However, the Department of Health’s Undersecretary Rosario Vergeire took to their defense and said they’re “trustworthy”. During a virtual briefing for the coronavirus pandemic response in the Philippines, Vergeire said:
Yesterday we have received the decision coming from the Ombudsman. Lungkot na lungkot kami na at this time of the pandemic nagkakaroon tayo ng ganitong sitwasyon.
Along with this, the Health Undersecretary emphasized that the officials play a “critical role” in the government’s pandemic response. Meanwhile, according to an article from ABS-CBN, among the 5 that were issued a six-month suspension without pay were the following:
- Undersecretary Roger Tong-an
- Assistant Secretary Kenneth Ronquillo
- Assistant Secretary Maylene Beltran
- Director Laureano Cruz
- Administrative Officer Esperanza Carating
The reason for the suspension was due to the delayed pay-out of benefits for health workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the Health Department is also being probed for delayed procurement of personal protective equipment (PPEs) and other anomalies.
Still, Vergeire emphasized that the suspension for the officials was not a punishment since they nothing was proven as of yet. “It’s a process legally na ginagawa para lang ma-facilitate ang pagiimbestiga na walang impluwensya ng taong nasasakdal“, Vergeire added.
Following this, the Undersecretary expressed her support for the 5 officials flagged by the Ombudsman. As per the article, she said:
We are supporting our 5 officials. These officials [have] been with us for decades already, nagbigay na po ng ganung sakripisyo ang commitment and integrity-wise sila ay mapagkakatiwalaan
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