A group of "concerned Department of Health personnel" has filed a graft complaint with the Office of the Ombudsman against Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa and 16 other officials over the alleged wastage of P1.4 billion worth of medicines and vaccines. They accused the respondents of graft and serious dishonesty for failing to distribute life-saving drugs that expired in warehouses.
A group identifying as "concerned Department of Health personnel" submitted a 33-page graft complaint to the Office of the Ombudsman targeting Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa and 16 other officials, including Undersecretaries Randy Escolango and Gloria Balboa.
The complaint charges them with graft, serious dishonesty, grave misconduct, and conduct prejudicial to public service for neglecting to distribute essential medicines such as HIV antiretrovirals, psychiatric drugs, and vaccines, which expired in storage.
It details P68 million in already expired items, including 1.2 million cycles of family planning drugs and psychiatric injectables, alongside P1.3 billion in undelivered vaccines and 1.6 million tablets of HIV antiretrovirals that became "dead stock" in the national warehouse. The group described this as "conscious indifference to consequences" rather than a mere clerical oversight.
"This collective failure to exercise ‘diligence of a good father of a family’ constitutes a criminal dereliction of duty and a direct violation of the public trust," the complaint stated. They cited an internal message: “Sir ang dami pala expiring commodities ng DPBC, grabe. Pag ito nalaman ng media, patay na naman.”
Instead of an emergency distribution, the DOH allegedly rushed disposal to "liquidate the stock and hide the evidence from media scrutiny," according to the complainants. The group seeks preventive suspension for Herbosa and co-respondents to protect witnesses and evidence. Herbosa faces separate graft cases over conflict of interest from radio anchoring and a P1.8 billion procurement for mobile primary care facilities.