A group of healthcare advocates has lodged a graft complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman against Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Teodoro Herbosa and 16 other officials, accusing them of wasting more than ₱1.4 billion worth of medicines.
The complaint, filed Tuesday by the Concerned Department of Health Personnel, alleged that the respondents failed to distribute essential drugs, including HIV antiretrovirals, psychiatric medications, and vaccines, which later expired in storage.
According to the filing, ₱68 million worth of medicines had already expired, including 1.2 million cycles of family planning drugs and psychiatric injectables. In addition, ₱1.3 billion worth of vaccines remained undistributed as of January 2026, while 1.6 million HIV antiretroviral tablets reached “terminal status” pending official signatures.
“The respondents did not merely commit a clerical error; they demonstrated a conscious indifference to consequences by allowing life-saving medicine to become dead stock,” the complaint stated, adding that the failure amounted to criminal negligence and a breach of public trust.
The group further alleged that instead of implementing emergency catch-up distribution, the DOH rushed the disposal of the medicines in what they described as a “clandestine effort” to cover up the scandal and limit media scrutiny. Internal communications cited in the complaint included a message warning: “Sir, ang dami pala expiring commodities… Pag ito nalaman ng media, patay na naman.”
Named alongside Herbosa were Undersecretaries Randy Escolango and Gloria Balboa, OIC-Director David Masiado, and 14 other officials. They also face administrative charges for Serious Dishonesty, Grave Misconduct, and Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of Public Service.
The complainants urged the Ombudsman to place Herbosa and his co-respondents under preventive suspension to prevent witness intimidation or tampering with evidence.
The Commission on Audit had earlier flagged DOH’s “mismanagement” of ₱134.3 million worth of medical supplies that expired or were near expiry in its 2024 report. # (ZIA LUNA)
