Vergeire admits ‘reservations’ about being DOH secretary

Department of Health (DOH) officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire on Friday admitted that she has “reservations” on being the Health Secretary.

At the press briefing, Vergeire reiterated that she was not really offered as the DOH secretary. However, she accepted the OIC position until there would be someone assigned as Health chief.

“When we had [a] conversation then, I made clear to them my reservations and I think my reservations would be shared also like all career officials from the government, not just from the DOH, because we know that when you assume the secretary position, you lose your tenure,” Vergeire said.

“Meaning ‘yun pong career official natin, yung ating mga plantilla na position na may security ka, nawawala ‘yun because you become co-terminus appointee or an appointee of the President,” she added.

(Meaning, as career officials, our plantilla positions that have security, you lose that because you become a co-terminus appointee or an appointee of the President.)

“I am still young and ‘pag natapos na po yung anim na taon ng Presidente, gusto ko pa rin makapagserve hanggang magretire ako, nawawala po yun,” she added.

(I am still young and when the six years term of the President is over I still want to be able to serve until I retire. And that will be all gone if I became DOH secretary.)

Vergeire, however, said she will still think about it if she would be asked by the President in terms of the position.

“Sa susunod na tanong kung tatanungin tayo ngayon ng Presidente in terms of this position, andyan tayo sa pagiisipan natin and of course we will be really discussing kung ano ang nararapat po talaga para sa Kagawaran ng Kalusugan,” she added.

(In the next question, if the President asks me in terms of this position, we will think and of course we will be really discussing what is really appropriate for the DOH.)

Meanwhile, the DOH earlier confirmed the appointment of former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Camilo Pancratius Cascolan to the agency.

The Health Department said it received the appointment papers of Cascolan and of lawyer Charade Mercado-Grande, who services as OIC-Undersecretary of Health/Assistant Secretary of the Health Regulation Team, but did not elaborate. — RSJ, GMA News