Ex-consultant accuses DOH ‘mafia’ of plunder

A former consultant to the Department of Health on Saturday tagged several health officials, including ex-Health chief Janette Garin, as belonging to a "mafia" that allegedly benefited from the "plunder" of P3.55 billion used to purchase of the controversial dengue vaccine Dengvaxia and other alleged anomalous projects.

Dr. Francis Cruz, a consultant to former DOH chief Paulyn Ubial, tagged Garin and more than a dozen other incumbent and former health officials as having participated in different capacities in activities he considered as acts of "plunder."

Cruz said these activities include the alleged conversion of a part of the P3.55-billion fund for the Dengvaxia purchase, alleged ghost projects of the Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP) worth P23 billion, and "assorted medicines" worth P12 billion.

“These are not hardened criminals [in] that they intended to be a mafia. They evolved to be a mafia. They are bureaucrats who got tempted once, got tempted twice, then they formed a collusion tapos naging...namihasa na,” he told reporters at a briefing in Quezon City.

Asked to explain how the official profit from their conversion scheme, Cruz said it’s “worse than kickback,” and “worse than [Janet Lim] Napoles,” who is said to be behind the P10-billion pork barrel scam exposed in 2013.

Cruz said that 90 percent of whatever amount of money is released for the projects involved goes back to the DOH, while the other 10 percent goes to the “financier.”

“Binabalik nga yung pera eh...pa-release mo sila ng P500 million, so cheques ‘yan, lalabas ‘yan sa financier, ibabalik ng financier less 10 percent. So kumita ‘yung financier in less than two to three months nu’ng whatever na ni-release na pera,” he said. “Ang tawag nila doon, cost of money.”

As for the Dengvaxia purchase, he said Garin sub-allotted P3 billion to the Philippine Children’s Medical Center, while P550 million allegedly stayed with the DOH.

He also claimed that he has given pertinent documents proving his allegations on the Dengvaxia transaction to lawyer Ferdinand Topacio and Senator Richard Gordon in May and December 2017, respectively, but could not immediately produce the papers during the news forum.

When followed up, Cruz said he does not have documents on the HFEP and the “assorted medicines” allegations.

“None. Former [secretary] Ubial told me,” he said in a text message to GMA News Online.

Cruz also testified at a Senate hearing on the government's purchase of Dengvaxia vaccines from Sanofi Pasteur, where he bared a supposed "cover up" in the transaction.

He did not identify Garin as the leader of the supposed group, but said she still has "influence" over the officials he named.

The former health secretary has yet to reply to GMA News Online's request for reaction.

Cruz said he has asked Health Secretary Francisco Duque III to obtain the service records and Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Networth of the officials.

Meanwhile, Topacio said the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption is building a case against the officials allegedly involved in the group.

In a phone call, Duque told GMA News Online that the DOH’s Executive Committee is already conducting a probe into the allegations of Cruz.

“...Aalamin kung saan ginastos ang malalaking pondo, pero whether totoo or hindi, hindi natin masasabi sa ngayon kung yung mga alegasyon na ‘yan ay totoo,” he said. —LBG/ALG, GMA News