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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider DOH Sec Herbosa, 3 other officials criminally charged in procurement of Mobile Primary Care Facilities

DOH Sec Herbosa, 3 other officials criminally charged in procurement of Mobile Primary Care Facilities

Published Mar 6, 2026 02:25 pm
A group of concerned Department of Health (DOH) officials filed before the Office of the Ombudsman on Friday, March 6, a criminal complaint against Health Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa and three other officials for "serious irregularities" in the procurement of Mobile Primary Care Facilities (MPCF).
Aside from Herbosa, also charged were DOH Undersecretary and Head of Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP) Glen Matthew Baggao, Head Executive Assistant Brigida H. Romualdez-Aquino, and Executive Assistant Allan J. Tope.
They were charged with violations of Sections 3(a) and (e) of Republic Act No. 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and Sections 92(c) and (g) of Republic Act No. 12009, the New Government Procurement Act.
In their complaint, the group said that Herbosa designated Undersecretary Gregorio T. Murillo Jr. as head of the End User Unit for MPCF on Sept. 15, 2025 through Department Personnel Order (DPO) No. 2025-5302A.
Undersecretary Mary Ann Palermo-Maestral issued a memorandum on Oct. 10, 2025 detailing the status of MPCF across 83 provinces. This memorandum described the program as a "deeply concerning level of inefficiency" that wasted resources as it failed to meet healthcare needs since only 25 percent of distributed units functioned or provided the intended clinical and diagnostic services.
In particular, the MPCFs in Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Davao Oriental, Davao Occidental, Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, and Misamis Oriental were non-functional, the memorandum stated.
Those in Siquijor and Zamboanga del Norte could not even utilize the medical equipment because they lacked trained personnel, it also stated.
In their complaint, the group said that Herbosa allegedly disregarded these red flags and still personally directed Murillo to follow his Terms of Reference.
On Nov. 7, 2025, Murillo's office transmitted the TOR, purchase request, and project procurement management plan (PPMP) for the acquisition of MPCFs with an approved budget of P1.8 billion, it also said.
It added that Murillo later forwarded the same documents to the Health Facility Enhancement Program Management Office (HFEP-MO), which also vouched for the non-functionality of the MPCFs.
Despite this, the group alleged that Tope and Romualdez-Aquino submitted to Murillo on Nov. 12, 2025 a "Market Study" containing the technical specifications for the procurement of 150 units of fully-equipped MPCFs and even attempted to modify the TOR with "tailor-fitted/lock specifications."
On Nov. 18, 2025, the group said that the respondents indefinitely postponed the Pre-Procurement Conference and demanded a revision of the TOR so that it would match Herbosa's directives and not the HFEP's upgraded version, which suggested upgrading X-ray specifications to include children.
When Murillo advocated for the upgraded facilities that complied with safety and dignity standards, the group lamented that he was removed from his position and was replaced by Baggao.
"Respondents, in conspiracy with one another, committed bid rigging in the procurement of DOH MPCF project through undue interference and manipulation of technical specifications or terms of reference," the group said in its complaint.
It added that Herbosa and the others allegedly manipulated the terms of reference with the intent to favor a specific supplier, which cannot be deemed as "mere administrative overreach."
At the same time, the group said that Herbosa and the other respondents reportedly overrode established procedures and disregarded the expert opinions of designated technical units just to alter technical specifications solely for the bidder's advantage.
"The coordinated acts of respondents Herbosa, Romualdez-Aquino, Tope, and Baggao unduly influencing the procurement process reveals their ulterior motive of rigging the procurement laws by making the terms of reference favorable to a specific unnamed supplier, undermining both the integrity of public service and the principles of fair and transparent governance," the group alleged.
It also claimed: "They (Herbosa and the other respondents) ensured that their favored contractor or supplier won the bid. In doing so, there can be no genuine competitive bidding, because the winning bidder was already preordained. These acts demonstrate manifest partiality and evident bad faith, and resulted in unwarranted benefit and advantage to that bidder."
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