OMBUDSMAN ASKED TO PROBE DOH OFFICIAL

THE Ombudsman on Monday was urged to investigate Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa over government funds earmarked for the purchase of life-saving vaccines and essential drugs.

A letter stating the complaints was filed before the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) Officer-in-Charge Mariflor Punzalan-Castillo on Monday, August 11, 2025, by the “Concerned DOH Employees.”

The group said they submitted the complaints anonymously “out of concern for retaliation, but with a firm sense of duty to uphold the public trust.”

The letter stated that the DOH Secretary could be held accountable for cases of malversation of public funds, falsification of public documents, and violations of procurement laws and Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

The employees said this is about the P1,296,202,144.64 funds that Herbosa allegedly could not liquidate when the Philippines procured vaccines from UNICEF last year.

They said the questionable unliquidated funds are resulting in the delay or lack of rollout of vaccines and medicines to our countrymen.

The “Concerned DOH Employees” added that Herbosa has already exceeded and violated the deadline set for submitting a liquidation to the Commission on Audit (COA).

The group also said even though the Health official has not yet clarified how the nearly P1.3 billion was spent, he reportedly initiated a new procurement request to purchase vaccines from UNICEF for an additional P524,926,193.47.

The complaints also stated that while some protests were resolved, many others were “indefinitely stalled.”

They said there were protests involving P1.2 billion worth of pneumococcal and polio vaccines which remained unresolved as of June 11, 2025.

“Ang DOH ay inaasahang tagapangalaga ng buhay at kalusugan ng mamamayan, hindi nagpapanatili ng sistemang bulok sa loob. Ang perang pampubliko na para sana sa bakuna, serbisyo, at buhay ng mga bata ay huwag hayaang gamitin nang walang pananagutan,” the complaint further stated.

Meanwhile, the Health Secretary could not be contacted immediately for comment as of posting time.