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Daphne Galvez - The Philippine Star
April 1, 2026 | 12:00am
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa on July 24, 2025.
STAR / Ryan Baldemor
MANILA, Philippines — A group of “concerned Department of Health personnel” has filed a graft complaint before 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.
In their 33-page complaint, the group accused Herbosa and the other officials of graft and serious dishonesty, grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to public service for failing to distribute life-saving drugs, including HIV antiretrovirals, psychiatric medications and vaccines, which were left expiring in warehouses.
They claimed that P68 million worth of medicines had already expired, including 1.2 million cycles of family planning drugs and psychiatric injectables, P1.3 billion worth of undelivered vaccines and 1.6 million tables of HIV antiretrovirals.
The medicines ended up as “dead stock” as they remained in the national warehouse and were not distributed to regional health units. This, they said, is not merely a clerical error but a “conscious indifference to consequences.”
“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 read.
They said the officials were formally notified through an executive briefer about the “overstocking and impending expiry” of legacy antiretrovirals for HIV medications and a visual list of all commodities nearing expiration earlier this month.
The group claimed that instead of implementing an emergency distribution plan, the DOH prioritized a rushed disposal of the medications “to liquidate the stock and hide the evidence from media scrutiny.”
The complaint cited internal communications from the Office of the Secretary, including a message that read: “Sir ang dami pala expiring commodities ng DPBC, grabe. Pag ito nalaman ng media, patay na naman.”
Aside from Herbosa, respondents named in the complaint were DOH undersecretaries Randy Escolango and Gloria Balboa, OIC-director David Masiado, Anna Marie Celina Garfin, Adriano Suba-an, Cherylle Gavino, Maria Joyce Ducusin, Hardy Dumawing, Carmela Granada, Jan Derek Junio, Carmina Paz Vera, Jessa Joy Malipot, Mark Anthony Dizon, Liezl Fernandez, Mary Grace Bautista and Jennifer Rabino.
Herbosa and two other ranking health officials are also facing graft, as well as administrative cases for alleged conflict of interest in their roles as radio anchors while serving in a government agency.
Apart from this, Herbosa, along with three health officials and employees, were accused of graft and violation of the procurement law for allegedly rigging the purchase of mobile primary care facilities worth P1.8 billion.
The group asked the ombudsman to immediately place Herbosa and his co-respondents under preventive suspension to prevent them from intimidating witnesses or tampering with or suppressing evidence as the investigation proceeds.
