Criminal and administrative complaints were filed anew against Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa over "unprecedented wave of whimsical reassignments, arbitrary designations, and sudden reversals of personnel orders" in the department.

Aside from Herbosa, the complaints filed by “Concerned DOH Employees” also named as respondents Officer-in-Charge Assistant Secretary of Health Dr. Albert Francis M. Domingo, OIC Director IV of the Bureau of International Health Corporation Dr. Joel Buenaventura, and Director of Health Promotion Bureau (HPB) Ma. Kristina Marasigan.

The complaints, received by the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) on Wednesday, Aug. 27, alleged that Herbosa and his group should be held liable for violations of Section 3(e) and (j) of Republic Act No. 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act; and Sections 4(b) and (c) of R.A. 6713, the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

The administrative complaints asked the OMB to hold them liable for oppression, grave misconduct, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.

The “Concerned DOH Employees” told the OMB their group had to file their complaints anonymously “for fear of reprisal and further harassment.”

Last Aug. 11, “Concerned DOH Employees” filed complaints against Herbosa on the reported P1.3 billion alleged unliquidated funds transferred in 2024 to UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, for the purchase of life-saving vaccines and essential drugs.

The first complaints asked the OMB to charge Herbosa with graft, malversation through falsification, and breach of conduct.

Herbosa had earlier said that he will provide his side once the Ombudsman requires him to do so.

The second complaint alleged that Herbosa had been playing favorites as he appointed less-qualified allies while stripping other officials of legitimate duties.

"In the DOH today, transfers and reassignments have become tools of punishment and power abuse, serving as warnings to those out of favor. This must end," the complaints stated.

"Under the tenure of Secretary Teodoro Herbosa, transfers and demotions are wielded as weapons, stripping officials of their dignity and erasing years of service without reason. Loyalty has replaced merit; no one but his close circle is safe," the complaints added.

Citing examples, the complaints cited the case of Dr. Salvador B. Evardone, who was transferred as Medical Chief of Eastern Visayas Medical Center (EVMC) in Tacloban, Leyte to Adele Serra Ty Memorial Medical Center (ASTMMC) in Surigao del Sur on Jan. 19, 2024.

Another was the case of Dr. Joseph Michael A. Jaro, who was moved as Deputy Executive Director of the National Kidney and Transplant Institute to EVMC.

The complaints also alleged that Herbosa reshuffled undersecretaries, assistant secretaries, directors, and even medical officers "without a clear rationale or continuity of service" from November 2024 to July 2025.

It was alleged that the reassignments were made multiple times within weeks, while orders were issued and amended within days.

While the complainants alleged that Herbosa bears primary responsibility for “abusing his appointing power,” the other respondents -- Domingo, Buenaventura, and Marasigan -- also bear some of the blame as they accepted the appointments even when these were "irregular and beyond their lawful appointment."

It was not known immediately if the OMB had acted on the first complaints filed against Herbosa who could not be reached for comment.