A group of ‘concerned citizens’ has appealed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to remove Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa over the alleged anomalies that were filed as cases before the Office of the Ombudsman.
At the same time, the group, which calls itself ‘Concerned Citizens and Taxpayers,’ also urged the president to request Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla to expedite the investigation and the eventual resolution of cases against Herbosa.
In their Dec. 9 letter, a copy of which was also sent to the Office of the Ombudsman on Wednesday, the group expressed ‘public worry’ on Herbosa’s supposed ‘penchant for peddling influence’ amid the cases filed against him at the ombudsman.
A copy of the letter was sent to the President through the 8888 Citizens’ Complaint Center.
They cited the cases filed against Herbosa at the ombudsman, including the most recent one wherein a group of ‘concerned’ DOH employees charged him with graft and possible violation of government procurement laws over his alleged close times with health contractor Zuellig Pharma Corporation.
Another case cited was when an anonymous group asked the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate Herbosa over an alleged P1.29 billion unliquidated cash transfer to the United Nations’ Children’s Fund (Unicef) for the procurement of vaccines and essential drugs.
The group also pointed out Herbosa’s ‘excessive reshuffling and demotion’ of several high-ranking officials of the DOH, leading to administrative charges also filed at the ombudsman, as well as his alleged unauthorized release of P44.6 million worth of psychiatric drugs to the Rotary Club of Quezon City that also resulted in separate criminal and administrative charges.
‘In a time when public health is critical, the last thing our people need is a health leadership mired in scandal, red tape and self-serving deals,’ the group said in its letter addressed to President Marcos, Recto and Remulla.
They said Mr. Marcos and Remulla should also consider the ‘litany of corruption cases’ filed against Herbosa and lamented that there was an ‘appalling lack of swift and decisive action’ from the ombudsman.
‘This continued inaction in the face of such egregious abuses is nothing less than an insult to public trust and a blatant abandonment of accountability,’ the group said.
The cases lodged against Herbosa would then show the latter’s ‘unfitness’ as health secretary, calling for his removal from the Cabinet.
‘The longer he remains in power, the [worse] the health of people and this nation suffer,’ the group said. ‘Now is the time to prioritize the health needs of Filipinos over personal ties, politics or institutional protectionism.’
‘The people need health programs, not health leadership compromised by vested interests,’ they stressed in their letter.
The Inquirer tried to reach out to Herbosa for his side of the matter but has yet to respond as of press time.