Vergeire faces graft case over cancer funds

MANILA, Philippines — A medical specialist at the Department of Health has amended his complaint and included DOH officer-in-charge Ma. Rosario Vergeire in the malversation and graft cases that he previously filed before the Office of the Ombudsman in relation to the agency’s cancer program.

Dr. Clarito Cairo Jr., who headed the DOH’s Cancer Control and Prevention Program, amended his complaint-affidavit to include Vergeire, citing “significant developments and the emergence of breakthrough evidence.”

Cairo had filed criminal and administrative complaints against six DOH officials over the supposed mismanagement of P786 million funding for Cancer and Supportive-Palliative Medicine Access Program (CSPMAP) and another P529 million for the Cancer Assistance Fund.

He alleged that the DOH sub-allotted the funding last year to fewer hospitals and purchased supposedly more expensive medicines for cancer patients.

Included in the original complaint were Health Undersecretary Beverly Lorraine, former DOH director IV Anna Melissa Guerrero, directors IV Razel Nikka Hao and Anthony Cu, Disease Prevention and Control Bureau-Financial and Supply Chain Monitoring Division chief Kim Patrick Tejano and Cancer Control Division head Jan Aura Laurelle Llevado.

In his amended complaint, Cairo said Vergeire, as acting health chief and undersecretary for public health services team, had full control of the cancer funds and had participated in its alleged mismanagement.

“By sub-allotting the CSPMAP funds to only 20 hospitals, many cancer patients, who were enrolled in 11 access sites that did not get the much-needed allocation of medicines, had to discontinue their lifesaving treatment,” the complaint read.

The DOH earlier maintained that all the transactions in connection with the implementation of the CSPMAP for 2022 were above board and accounted for.