Investigation on massive corruption should expand from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to the Department of Health (DOH), Mayor Benjamin Magalong said on Friday.
‘Not only DPWH – what’s happening in DOH is getting close, too,’ Magalong said after corruption complaints were filed against Health Secretary Ted Herbosa and five other officials, specifically for misusing P44.6 million worth of government-bought psychiatric medicines, allegedly given to a private group.
‘Si Herboza, malapit na yan,’ he said in radio interview.
Lawmakers have also flagged DOH’s Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP).
Many health centers supposedly built under the program turned out to be unfinished or unusable, and some were even described as ‘ghost’ facilities.
Lack of staff has made many of them non-operational. Magalong is part of Mayors for Good Governance.
Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, however, questioned Magalong’s own record, citing his P110-million Baguio tennis and parking facility project linked to Discaya-owned St. Gerrard Construction.
Magalong, who resigned from the Independent Commission for Infrastructure on ‘conflict of interest’ concerns, may need to present more solid proof of corruption in the DOH, as he did in the case of the DPWH, according to his detractors.
Even before his shortlived stint as ICI adviser and investigator, he claimed to have already submitted documents and other pieces of evidence to President Marcos to back up his allegations against officials linked to anomalies in flood control projects.