“Money and corruption are ruining the land. Crooked politicians betray the working man, pocketing the profits and treating us like sheep, and we're tired of hearing promises that we know they'll never keep.” Ray Davies
By Alex P. Vidal
IS the Department of Health (DOH) a goldmine?
Indeed nobody walks a saint in government service.
Some of the appointed officials we thought to be doyens of public service turn out to be crooks themselves and no better than some corrupt elected officials.
Both elected and appointed public officials have always been tempted and tainted by the glitters of gold in the public treasury.
With the alleged involvement of Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Enrique Ona and Assistant Secretary Eric Tayag in the so-called “DOH vaccines mess”, it’s doubtful if Ona, on leave since October 29, will be back in his post soon.
If he has delicadeza, Ona should quit.
Ditto for Tayag, who thinks people will just forget his misdemeanors if he dances like a bloated clown.
Acting Secretary Janette Loreto-Garin remains to be one of the only few DOH bigwigs with immaculate record.
So far, Loreto-Garin has been doing a fine job as acting secretary for almost three weeks now.
We hope she maintains this reputation now that her fellow DOH officials appear to be heading to the Hall of Shame.
INVESTIGATION
Unknown to most of us, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has been investigating since June the DOH's purchase of expensive vaccines in 2012 despite a recommendation to buy more cost-effective ones.
This was confirmed by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima who disclosed on November 10 that the NBI has been conducting an investigation into the procurement by the DOH of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine 10 (PCV 10).
This is reportedly “contrary to the recommendation of the National Center for Pharmaceutical Access and Management (NCPAM), the Formulary Executive Council (FEC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) which recommended PCV 13 which is said to be more cost-effective.”
The 2012 procurement for the vaccines was reportedly upon the "direction" of Tayag and "made possible by a certificate of exemption issued by Secretary Ona."
DOCTOR
If DOH is graft-ridden, Loreto-Garin, a doctor by profession and originally from Baybay, Leyte before she became Iloilo first district representative from 2004-2013, has a lot of adjustments to do.
For sure she is still being surrounded by some subalterns whose reputation reeks with suspicions of dishonesty owing to the culture that permeates the DOH.
Even if Ona and Tayag will be given the boot (which is doubtful given the snail pace of investigation on officials charged with graft and corruption in this country), there are still remnants of scoundrels in the department.
No one can underestimate the tentacles of corrupt officials in any government office nationwide.
Loreto-Garin, 42, trained in Obstetrics and Gynecology, can save the DOH from the abyss with her pristine record in public service that dates back when she became Iloilo provincial board member in 2001.
APPOINT
She was appointed by President Noynoy Aquino as undersecretary on women, children and family health last year.
Although the grapevine says her appointment was an offshoot of a political horse-trading among Liberal Party (LP) giants (Tupas and Garinc clans) in Iloilo, Loreto-Garin’s qualifications as a three-termer solon where she pressed for the Cheaper Medicines Act, the Reproductive Health Bill, Amendment to the Physicians Act, among other health measures, reportedly gave weight to her appointment in the DOH.
With her family’s vast wealth, Loreto-Garin does not need to steal.
She comes from a rich family in Leyte and her husband, Iloilo first district Rep. Richard Garin, is a multi-millionaire son of a billionaire semi-retired politician, Oscar Garin, Sr., the political kingpin of Iloilo’s first district that comprises the municipalities of Oton, Tigbauan, Guimbal, Miag-ao, Tubungan, Igbaras, and San Joaquin.
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