How can President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ensure the health and safety of Filipinos if his own Department of Health (DOH) under Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa is now plunged into a cycle of corruption allegations, at a time when Filipinos are already grappling with rising fuel costs driven by tensions in the Middle East and shrinking purchasing power?
Inside the DOH, a series of cases involving billions of pesos in procurement funds and hundreds of millions more in infrastructure projects and contracts has surfaced over the past year.
These span hospital construction, vaccine procurement, drug allocation, and media deals, raising questions on accountability and oversight.
Conflict of interest
According to an exclusive report of Rappler, DOH Undersecretary Glenn Mathew Baggao’s brother, through EGB Construction, secured at least P140.99 million worth of health infrastructure projects in 2025, including super health centers and district hospitals.
Rappler reported that Baggao was later assigned to oversee health service clusters covering large parts of Luzon, where several of the projects are located. He was also designated to head the Health Facilities Enhancement Program Management Office.
“Sometimes, there are overlapping shared functions. They blur the lines,” lawyer Eirene Jhone Aguila told Rappler.
The report also noted that before joining the DOH, Baggao served as hospital chief while his brother’s firm secured at least P408 million in health facility contracts, including projects awarded through negotiated procurement.
Rappler further reported delays and unfinished projects, including health centers in Isabela, raising concerns on access to basic services.
Vaccine procurement
Procurement has also come under scrutiny. Complaints filed by “Concerned DOH Employees” before the Office of the Ombudsman alleged that P1.29 billion transferred to UNICEF for vaccines and essential drugs remained unliquidated beyond required timelines.
The same complaint cited procurement-related protests involving up to P1.2 billion worth of vaccines, including pneumococcal and polio vaccines, which remained unresolved for months.
It also alleged that despite the unliquidated funds, a new procurement request worth P524,926,193.47 was initiated, and that some bid protests were left pending for up to 245 days.
Psychiatric drugs
Separate corruption complaints were also filed before the Office of the Ombudsman against Herbosa and several DOH officials over P44.6 million worth of psychiatric medications.
The complaint alleged that some of the drugs were nearing expiry when they were allocated to a private civic group instead of government health facilities.
Public health advocate Dr. Tony Leachon described the issue as “deeply troubling,” citing concerns over stewardship of public resources.
The complaint also raised issues of possible over-procurement and inventory mismanagement involving regulated, prescription-only drugs.
Internal strife
“Concerned DOH Employees” also filed administrative and criminal complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman against Herbosa and other officials over personnel decisions within the department.
They alleged an “unprecedented wave” of transfers, arbitrary designations, and reversals of orders, some issued and amended within days.
The complaint said officials were reassigned without clear basis, disrupting continuity and creating uncertainty in program implementation. “Transfers and demotions are wielded as weapons,” the complainants said.
DOH’s P98-million radio program
Another complaint filed before the Office of the Ombudsman accused Herbosa, Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo, and Director Kristina Marasigan of conflict of interest over a P98 million health promotion contract.
The complaint alleged that the officials served as anchors of the “PINASigla” segment while the DOH awarded a contract to the same media company.
Complainants said the arrangement blurred the line between public service and self-promotion. The officials said their roles complied with government rules.
Herbosa’s travels
Senator Joel Villanueva also raised concerns over Herbosa’s foreign trips, noting he had traveled 19 times since 2023 while issues in the DOH remained unresolved.
Villanueva said the frequency of the trips raised questions about priorities, as the department faced concerns ranging from expired medicines to procurement delays.
He called for closer scrutiny of the agency, stressing that public office should be judged on performance, especially in essential services.
