HEALTH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire has been designated by President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. as officer-in-charge of the Department of Health (DOH).
This was announced by Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles in an interview on state-run PTV-4.
As the DOH’s officer-in-charge, Vergeire is expected to oversee and manage the country’s overall health situation on top of the threats posed by the rising COVID-19 and dengue cases in the past few weeks.
Angeles also announced that former LRT administrator Mel Robles has been nominated as general manager of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
At a press conference in Malacañang, Angeles said Vergeire’s term as OIC may be extended if the administration has not chosen a DOH Secretary by the end of the month, in accordance with Memorandum Circular No. 1.
“Tama po kayo na ang MC 1 nagtatalaga lang po ng OIC hanggang sa katapusan ng buwan. Ini-expect po natin na kung wala pang natatalagang pinuno ang DOH before that time ay ie-extend ang pagka-OIC. But titingnan po natin ang mangyayari during that time,” she said.
According to Angeles, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, which is led by the DOH Secretary, will also continue its work under the new administration.
“Hindi natin masasabi kung kailan sila magmi-meet. Ang masasabi lang natin, tuloy-tuloy naman po ang trabaho ng IATF,” Angeles said.
In a statement, the DOH thanked Marcos for tapping Vergeire—currently the department’s Undersecretary for Public Health Services Team and the Office of the Chief of Staff, and also its spokesperson—to be its OIC.
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