(Eagle News Service) — Malacanang said the Department of Health would continue to be headed by Undersecretary Janette Garin in an acting capacity as President Aquino accepted Health Secretary Enrique Ona’s resignation.
Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the leadership situation at the Department of Health (DOH) has been put in ‘status quo’ as President Aquino looks for someone to succeed Health Secretary Enrique Ona who resigned from his post.
Lacierda said Garin would continue to fulfill Ona’s duties in acting capacity until a replacement has been named.
“The President has not yet decided on who to appoint (as) the successor to Secretary Ike Ona, so ang mangyayari status quo muna tayo ngayon. Usec. Janette Garin will be the Acting Secretary of Health until any permanent appointment has been announced,” Lacierda said.
Lacierda assured the public that the DOH’s work would not be hampered notwithstanding Ona’s resignation. “Acting Secretary Janette Garin has been tasked to oversee all the ongoing projects and the operations of the Department of Health,” he said.
Ona’s resignation was made public only last Friday when Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. relayed the information to the media.
“Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa, Jr., informed Health Secretary Enrique T. Ona that the President has accepted his resignation effective today (December 19),” Coloma said in his statement.
The reasons behind Ona’s resignation are yet to be revealed as Lacierda opted to leave those details between the erstwhile DOH chief and the President for the time being.
“What we were told and as mentioned by Secretary (Sonny) Coloma yesterday is that the Executive Secretary informed Secretary Ike Ona of the President’s acceptance of his resignation. Other than that statement, we have no information anymore,” he said.
Ona as well as other officials at the DOH have been the subject of an ongoing probe by National Bureau of Investigation over questions regarding the department’s procurement of anti-pneumonia vaccines.
Ona has been asked by the President to explain why he approved the purchase of one million units of the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine 10 (PCV 10), worth more than P833-million in 2012, over the more cost-effective vaccine PCV 13. The vaccine is meant for the immunization of infants and children against pulmonary diseases. (with a PND report)
