President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is still in the process of selecting a new secretary for the Department of Health (DOH), thus he designated Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire as officer-in-charge for the meantime.
President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. and DOH officer-in-charge Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire (Photos courtesy of Malacañang)
This was explained by Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles when asked why the President did not name Vergeire as DOH chief and instead designated her as an OIC.
The President is still weighing his options on who will lead the Department of Health, Angeles said in a press briefing Thursday, July 14.
According to Angeles, Vergeire will serve as the OIC of the Health department until a new DOH Secretary is designated by the President.
However, in case the President is unable to pick a DOH Secretary by July 31, Vergeire’s role as an OIC could be extended.
“Ine-expect natin kung wala pa pong naitatalaga na pinuno ang DOH before that time ay ie-extend ang pagka-OIC. But titingnan po natin kung ano ang mangyayari during that time, medyo speculative pa po kasi yun, e (We are expecting that if a new DOH Secretary is not yet designated by that time, we will extend her in the post. But we’ll see what happens during that time, because for now it is still speculative),” Angeles said.
Under the Memorandum Circular No. 1, which declared certain positions in the Executive Department vacant, OIC shall remain to perform the duties and responsibility of the office until July 31, 2022, or until a replacement is appointed
Vergeire’s designation as the acting Health Secretary was also announced Thursday.
She is currently the Undersecretary for public health services and spokesperson for DOH