Senators on Monday, October 24 expressed surprise at President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s appointment of former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Camilo Cascolan as one of the Department of Health’s (DOH) undersecretaries.

“That’s a big surprise to me. No further comment,” Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said when asked about Cascolan’s appointment.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros, Pimentel’s fellow minority senator, said she too did not expect Cascolan’s appointment to the DOH.

“Tulad ng marami, hindi ko inaasahan ang pagkatalaga ni Usec. Camilo Cascolan sa Department of Health (DOH). Tulad rin ng marami, gusto sana nating ma-appoint ay may qualification, expertise, at aktibo sa public health sector (Like many, I did not expect Usec's appointment. Camilo Cascolan at the Department of Health (DOH). Like many, we would like somebody with qualifications, expertise, and active to be appointed in the public health sector),” Hontiveros said in a statement.

Nevertheless, Hontiveros said she respects Cascolan as an officer and a gentleman and his stint in the PNP “speaks for itself.”

“Aside from considering him a friend and my mistah, I respect Gen. Cascolan as an officer and a gentleman. His stint at the PNP speaks for itself. But the DOH should and must always be a public health-led agency, especially as we continue to deal with COVID-19 and other burdens of disease,” Hontiveros said.

“However, we also recognize that it is the President’s prerogative to appoint individuals to office. We hope that the DOH will find suitable roles for Usec. Cascolan to further add value in addressing threats to public health security and safety in our communities,” she stressed.

‘Very capable’

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, who heads the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, congratulated Cascolan on his appointment as an undersecretary in the health department.

As a former PNP chief appointed at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Go said Cascolan is very much capable of serving in the DOH “and he brings with him the experience especially in instilling discipline and enforcing health and safety measures against COVID-19.”

“Naging undersecretary din si Cascolan sa Office of the President mula Pebrero 2021 hanggang matapos ang termino ni dating pangulong Rodrigo Duterte (Cascolan also became undersecretary in the Office of the President from February 2021 until the end of former president Rodrigo Duterte's term),” Go said in a separate statement.

“Kaya tiwala ako sa kanyang karanasan. Malaki ang maitutulong niya sa DOH sa ating patuloy na pakikipaglaban sa COVID-19 at iba pang panganib sa kalusugan ng ating mga mamamayan (That's why I trust his experience. He will be of great help to the DOH in our ongoing fight against COVID-19 and other threats to the health of our citizens),” he said.

Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, himself a former PNP chief, said he has full confidence on Cascolan as one of the DOH’s undersecretaries, despite his lack of background in the medical field.

“Hindi naman kailangang doktor kung magmanage ng isang organisasyon. Pagdating sa management, hindi rin makukwestyon kanyang abilidad. Di naman siya pumasok diyan para magpagaling ng pasyente, pumasok siya dyan para magmanage ng ahensya (You don't need to be a doctor to manage an organization. When it comes to management, his ability cannot be questioned either. He didn't go there to heal patients, he is going there to manage an agency),” Dela Rosa said in an interview.

“Wala akong nakitang problema dyan. Pag ba DOH dapat manggagamot ka ng sakit? Management (expertise) naman siguro ang kailangan sa kanya dyan (I don't see any problem with that. Are you supposed to be a healer when you are at the DOH? Maybe his management expertize is what he needs there),” he added.