MALACAÑANG confirmed on Saturday the resignation of two Department of Health (DOH) officials after facing complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman.
In a Viber message, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro confirmed that Health Undersecretary for Financial and Supply Chain Management Services Randy Escolango, and Undersecretary for Universal Health Care-Health Services Cluster Lead for Luzon Glenn Mathew Baggao resigned from their posts. The two officials faced graft charges before the Office of the Ombudsman earlier this year. On June 22, concerned DOH personnel filed a complaint before the Ombudsman against then-Health secretary Teodoro Herbosa and Escolango, alleging that Escolango’s appointment to multiple key posts created a conflict of interest in the agency’s procurement process. The complaint alleged that the appointment improperly concentrated control by placing Escolango in charge of the department’s financial and supply chain services while also naming him head of the major bidding committee that handles high-value procurement for items like medicines and vaccines. The complainants said that bypassing standard fiscal checks created a self-policing setup that violated procurement rules. Meanwhile, another group of health workers on April 30 accused Baggao of breaching anti-graft and procurement laws by using his position to allocate health infrastructure funds awarded to his brother’s construction firm, EGB Construction. The complaint alleged that his brother, Erni Baggao, and his construction firm won at least five 2025 projects worth nearly P141 million, including super health centers and district hospital upgrades in Isabela. Castro, however, did not confirm whether their resignations were connected with the charges, nor did she state the reason for their resignations. Castro did not name replacements for the two officials. This comes after Dr. Brix Pujalte resigned as health secretary on Aug. 10. While official statements from Malacañang cited “health reasons” for Pujalte’s resignation, the departure came directly amid allegations regarding casino gambling. Serving for just 28 days — from his appointment on July 13 to his resignation on Aug. 10 — Pujalte became the shortest-serving DOH chief in Philippine history. He was succeeded by Dr. Edwin Mercado. Last week, Dr. Emmie Liza Perez Chiong also resigned as oral health and medical tourism undersecretary. She was replaced by Assistant Secretary Christian Lel Saquilabon.
