SINCE taking the lead role at the Department of Health in June 2023, Secretary Teodoro Herbosa has yet to deliver what is expected of him — make healthcare available and accessible to each and every Filipino.
For one, Herbosa’s so-called “leadership” has been marred with multiple red flags. In a commitment letter signed by Herbosa, he promised to institute a 50% across-the-board health benefit increase and to cover at least 80% of cancer treatment and heart operation expenses by November 2024.
He also agreed to make various health diagnostic scans, such as Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) free, making it part of outpatient services rendered by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) in his capacity as chairman of the board.
Other issues included the arbitrary transfer of PhilHealth funds to the national treasury, zero subsidy for PhilHealth in 2025 General Appropriations Act, mismanagement of funds, and slow implementation of Universal Health Care.
It was also during his stint that the Commission on Audit (COA) came out with a report detailing P11.5 billion worth of expired vaccines and medicines.
There were also calls for his immediate resignation after photographs showed him hobnobbing with executives of the tobacco industry, which is being blamed for the proliferation of lung-related tuberculosis, at an event in Malacanang.
The act itself speaks well of his moral ascendancy. There are instances that one has to make choices, and in this case, he flipped on the wrong side of the coin. Herbosa in a snap lost the right to lead a department mainly tasked to defend the nation’s health.
His actions, deemed as unacceptable as they go against everything that anti-tobacco advocates have stood for, is a clear violation of the Joint Memorandum Circular 2010-01 of the Civil Service Commission and the DOH, which categorically bars government officials from engaging with the tobacco industry.
This is not just a lapse in judgment. This is a deliberate act that spits in the face of every Filipino who has lost a father, a mother, a brother, or a sister to tobacco-related illnesses. It is an insult to every doctor, nurse, and healthcare worker fighting daily against lung cancer, heart disease, and respiratory failure caused by cigarette smoking.
DOH needs someone whose priority places the lives of Filipinos above corporate interests, someone who understands that public health is not up for negotiation.
We must never allow those entrusted with our well-being to sell out our future.
We deserve better.
But from how it looks, Herbosa seemed to enjoy the fame and perks of being the Philippine Health Secretary, which leaves the Filipino people’s fate to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. who by the way wields the power to axe inefficient cabinet men.
