Palace: Up to Ombudsman if Pujalte will be placed under preventive suspension

Malacañang on Thursday said that it is up to the Office of the Ombudsman to decide whether or not to place Health Secretary Jose "Brix" Pujalte Jr. under preventive suspension over the alleged whimsical suspension of procurement of tuberculosis drugs and other tuberculosis-related commodities.

Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said this when asked in a Palace briefing if President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. sees the need to issue a preventive suspension against Pujalte, who was just appointed as Department of Health (DOH) chief last month.

“Kung andyan ang kaso…sa Ombudsman, so nasa hurisdiksyon na rin po ng Ombudsman kung siya ay kinakailangan na magpataw ng preventive suspension para sa mas malinis na na pag-iimbestiga sa naturang reklamo,” Castro said.

(If the case is already with the Ombudsman, then it falls within the Ombudsman's jurisdiction to determine whether it is necessary to impose a preventive suspension to ensure a cleaner investigation into the complaint.)

Castro also said that there is no information yet if Marcos and Pujalte have already talked.

Earlier on Thursday, Pujalte said he is prepared to submit relevant documents related to the investigation into the alleged procurement suspension.

He also 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."

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

They argued that Pujalte’s supposed 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. — RSJ, GMA News