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Is Sec. Raul behind her relief?
By Francis Allan L. Angelo
THE regional director of the Department of Health (DOH-6) has been relieved from her post after almost 10 years of stay in Western Visayas.
The relief of Dr. Lydia Depra-Ramos was confirmed by Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr. Saturday.
According to Gonzalez, Depra-Ramos will be reassigned to the DOH central office in Metro Manila. Depra-Ramos’ replacement has yet to be known.
Reports said Depra-Ramos’ dismal response in the aftermath of typhoon Frank which hit Western Visayas June 21 may have something to do with her relief.
The DOH-6 has also been the subject of various investigations by the Ombudsman for alleged anomalous transactions involving medicines and other medical supplies.
A COA report scored had the DOH-6 unutilized drugs and equipment worth more than P4 million and un-liquidated cash advances amounting to almost P2 million.
But Depra-Ramos earlier said her office had no hand in the procurement of such supplies as these were sent by the DOH central office.
But why is Gonzalez trumpeting Depra-Ramos’ relief?
The justice department chief has been criticizing Depra-Ramos in his columns in Business Mirror, a national business broadsheet.
In the July 31, 2008 issues of the broadsheet, Gonzalez said the DOH-6 director, whom he called “untouchable”, has “brazenly purchased millions of pesos worth of sterilizing and disinfecting solutions which were described as ‘state-of-the-art’ in an attempt to justify the overprice of about 50 percent of the actual cost.”
Gonzalez claimed that the MD Sterilizing and Disinfecting Solutions manufactured by Henkel (Phils.) Inc. which Depra-Ramos bought were already expired.
“It, therefore, appears that these sterilizing solutions purchased at a cost of millions of pesos by Region 6-DOH under the watch of Regional Director Depra Ramos have already expired and, therefore, are obsolete, useless. I was informed by insiders at the DOH-R6 offices that these sterilizing solutions are due to be buried because they have expired and should be kept away from prying eyes,” Gonzalez said.
Citing his conversation with Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, Gonzalez said Depra-Ramos was supposed to leave Region 6 last month.
In the aftermath of typhoon Frank, Depra-Ramos was at loggerheads with the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) and Iloilo Medical Society (IMS) over the series of medical missions in typhoon-ravaged areas.
PMA-IMS members were dismayed when Depra-Ramos reiterated a department order requiring organizations to coordinate with the DOH-6 before conducting medical missions.
The medical groups said the guidelines dampened their enthusiasm to help typhoon victims in Western Visayas.
But Depra-Ramos said the guidelines were taken from the DOH Administrative Order 179-2001. She said it was meant to regulate the conduct of medical missions following reports that expired medicines were distributed to beneficiaries.
By Francis Allan L. Angelo
JUSTICE Secretary Raul Gonzalez is willing to twist arms if only to ship out cops allegedly involved in illegal drugs and other criminal activities.
Gonzalez said he is confident that the Department of Interior and Local Government will heed his request to reassign to Mindanao 20 police officers in Iloilo who were tagged in various crime syndicates.
Gonzalez said he has submitted the names of the police officers to DILG Secretary Ronaldo Puno who has supervision over the Philippine National Police.
The justice department chief said he has solid proof against the police officers accused of coddling criminals in Iloilo.
“The DILG might defend these police officers but I will confront Secretary Puno about this in Malacañang,” he said.
Ten of the 20 police officers in Gonzalez’s list have been identified: PO1 Godofredo Jamolo Jr., PO2 Remy Donasco, SPO3 Elvis Donasco, SPO4 Fred Blones, PO3 Ferdinand Garcia, PO2 Arnold Alavansas, PO3 Henry Mana-ay, PO3 Edmund Castillo, and SPO1 Ronaldo Alag.
Gonzalez has also tagged SPO1 Rex Delos Reyes of Igbaras PNP of coddling armed goons and lobbing a grenade at the car of Iloilo City Police Office intelligence chief Musa Amiyong.
Atty. Plaridel Nava, Delos Reyes’ legal counsel, said his client has threatened to file libel and disbarment cases against Gonzalez for making premature statements.
Nava said Gonzalez should refrain from tagging police officers to crimes as this might affect any cases that will be filed with the prosecutors’ office.
“He is the secretary of justice and he supervises prosecutors. If he makes such statements, he might prejudice cases filed against the police officers or against him,” Nava said.
Delos Reyes said over Bombo Radyo that he will seek a temporary restraining order against the plan to reassign them to war-torn Mindanao.
Delos Reyes said Gonzalez’s moves are purely personal after the former was seen talking to former Iloilo City prosecutor Efrain Baldago whom the justice secretary removed months ago.
Gonzalez welcomed any suit from delos Reyes saying he has nothing personal against the police officer.
Gonzalez said it is only now that he learned delos Reyes’ connection to Baldago.
scrimgeour
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