Duque urges accusers to file cases vs alleged DOH ‘mafia’

Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III on Monday urged those who have raised accusations of illegal of activities of a mafia-like group in the agency to show proof and file appropriate cases in court.

“I encourage those who are painting the Department of Health in [a] bad light to present evidence to substantiate their claims. I cannot allow accusers to tarnish the good reputation of the Department of Health, which it has gloriously built over the years, by spewing unsubstantiated allegations,” Duque said in a statement.

“I have always advocated for transparency and good governance and I will not allow corruption under my watch. If they have evidence to support the allegations, I encourage them to go forward and file the necessary cases,” he added.

Former DOH consultant Dr. Francis Cruz on Saturday claimed that former Health Secretary Janette Garin and several incumbent health officials are members of a “mafia” that allegedly benefited from the “plunder” of P3.5-billion Dengvaxia purchase and other alleged anomalous projects.

Duque said that Cruz should show evidence while the department conducts a probe into the supposedly questionable contracts entered into by the previous administration. He added that the allegations against the health officials “are still unsubstantiated at this point.”

“Now that we are back at the DOH, we will strengthen our good governance campaign and ensure that our officials and staff adhere to the highest standards of professionalism and integrity. We will definitely not tolerate corruption,” Duque stressed.

Duque was the Health secretary of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and served from June 2005 up to 2009.

Garin, for her part, had denied that she was involved in the so-called “DOH mafia,” and that Cruz’s claim was a “big lie.” She said that her lawyer was reviewing the possibility of filing a libel case against the ex-DOH consultant.

Meanwhile, former Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Rosell Ubial said in an interview on Unang Balita that during her term, she conducted her own probe into the supposed dubious transactions based on Cruz’s accusations.

Cruz was a consultant under the terms of former DOH chiefs Ubial and Enrique Ona.

Garin launched the controversial dengue vaccination program during the Aquino administration, which aims to provide free vaccines to public school children in places with high incidences of Dengue.

The immunization program was immediately suspended after Dengvaxia manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur revealed that its vaccine could lead to severe dengue if administered to a person who had not been infected with the virus.

The Philippine government allocated P3.5-billion for the said drive. Duque demanded Sanofi to pay back P1.4-billion for the remaining unused Dengvaxia vials, which the French pharmaceutical giant agreed with on Monday.