DOH's Pujalte ready to cooperate on TB drugs probe

Health Secretary Jose "Brix" Pujalte Jr. on Thursday said he is prepared to submit relevant documents related to investigation into alleged whimsical suspension of procurement of tuberculosis drugs and other tuberculosis-related commodities.

Pujalte made the statement, as he denied the allegations and said the review is intended to ensure that the "procurement process is responsive to the needs of tuberculosis patients, transparent, and compliant with the law."

“Wala pa tayong 30 days sa posisyon, pero gusto agad pabilisin ang pag-apruba sa P3 billion na TB procurement nang walang malalimang pagsusuri. Three billion pesos po ’yan ng taumbayan, hindi ’yan basta-basta. Natuto na dapat tayo sa nangyari noon sa Pharmally. Buhay ng tao ang nakataya rito," Pujalte said.

(I have been appointed in my current post less that 30 days and yet they want to expedite the approval of the P3 billion TB procurment without thorough probe. Three billion is no joke. We learned what happened with Pharmallu. People's llives are at stake.)

Pujalte added that he respects the mandate and process of the Office of the Ombudsman.

On Wednesday, health advocates and health workers asked the Ombudsman to dismiss Pujalte over the alleged suspension of TB drugs and related commodities procurement.

In a letter to Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, the health advocates said that Pujalte’s decision to suspend procurement for the tuberculosis program is tantamount to grave misconduct, grave abuse of authority and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, which merit dismissal from public office.

Likewise, the DOH chief’s accusers said that procurement timelines are fixed by law to eliminate corrupt administrative discretion. As such, and indefinite procurement suspension without valid legal grounds “is an illegal sabotage of open competitive bidding.”

"If I did, they would say 'Ba't ang bilis mo pinirmahan yan.' (They would say 'why did signed it immediately?) Probably complicit. I don't want that impression," Pujalte told reporters in an ambush interview.

"I would rather think that the best thing is to study something of such enormous amount and in following the process, I'm able to procure medicines that are good," he added.

Gambling accusations

The Health secretary once again denied claims that he had gambled at a casino, saying he was at a restaurant in a hotel complex to meet local government mayors for a courtesy call.

In a previous statement, Pujalte clarified that his presence at a hotel on July 20 was strictly for "official business."

Pujalte was alleged to have violated Section 14(a) of Presidential Decree No. 1869, which prohibits government officials from playing in casinos, as well as Republic Act No. 6713, or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees. — RSJ, GMA News