Gov’t vows charges over anomalous ₱8.1-B DOH program

The government is determined to prosecute any person behind the alleged irregularities in the P8.1-billion barangay health station project if enough evidence is gathered.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said they expect Health Secretary Francisco Duque to build the case and lodge the complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman.

“The President is dead serious about his campaign against corruption. Basta may ebidensya po, isasampa naman ‘yan (As long as there is evidence, a case will be filed),” Roque said during a news conference in Cotabato City.

Duque earlier uncovered alleged anomalous establishment of barangay health stations, including the lack of validated sites before the construction began in 2016.

Of the 429 barangay stations projected in Phase One of the project, only 270 facilities were reportedly completed. The project also reportedly lacked appropriate documents.

Duque assured that past and present officials of the DOH will be held liable over the alleged irregularities.

“Past and present official ay kailangan panagutin, of course dadaan yan sa due process para wala naman silang pwedeng sabihin na parang kinaladkad na lamang sila Past and present official(s) should be held liable. Of course it will undergo due process so that none of them can claim being arbitrarily dragged into the case),” Duque said on a radio interview on Tuesday.

Part of the process, he said, is looking into the Commission on Audit investigation output to analyze whether or not it is enough basis to file charges.

Garin reacts Reacting to the investigation, former DOH Secretary Janette Garin said that her “conscience is clear” amid the alleged anomalous implementation of the project during her term.

“I’m confident I will be vindicated at the end because my conscience is clear,” Garin said in her text message to the Manila Bulletin.

Garin said that the project “was conceptualized and planned to answer the gap considering that there are only 17,000 BHS (barangay health stations) out of 42,000 barangays.”

Duque said the project is not under question but its implementation, as he lauded the intention of putting up barangay health stations.

“Magandang maganda talaga ang hangarin nito. Ang naging problema ay yung planning (The project has good intentions. The problem lies in the planning),” he said.

‘Blame Ubial’ However, Garin said that Duque should stop blaming the previous administration and instead lead “an already demoralized DOH.”

She also passed blame on the apparent anomalous continuation of the P8.1-billion project to her immediate successor, former health secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial.

“What happened for the past two years that I have been out of DOH is a matter my successor (Ubial) should answer,” said Garin.