Leachon to ICI: Probe DOH too

Next to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Department of Health (DOH) is also being linked to the same web of corruption.

This after Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong resigned as Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) special adviser and investigator, flagged DOH Secretary Ted Herbosa for the alleged mismanagement of the Medical Assistance for Indigents and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIP).

Public health reform advocate Dr. Tony Leachon said the recent revelations from Magalong are "nothing short of devastating."

"Congressman Chel Diokno’s exposé during the plenary budget hearings confirms what many of us feared: ghost hospitals linked to the Discaya couple, defunded PhilHealth, and a health workforce left to fend for itself," Leachon said.

"The DOH, entrusted with the sacred duty of healing the nation, has instead become a symbol of betrayal. We are witnessing a collapse—not just of infrastructure, but of integrity," he added.

Last week, Herbosa disclosed that the DOH is investigating an unfinished health facility, constructed by a Discaya-owned firm, in Zamboanga.

Herbosa said the contractor of the project was St. Timothy Construction Corp., which is owned by contractor-couple Cezarah "Sarah" Discaya and Pacifico "Curlee" Discaya, who are both at the center of the anomalous flood control projects.

"The Independent Commission on Infrastructure must act now. Probe the DOH. Follow the money. Unmask the networks. This is not mere negligence—it is systemic corruption. It is kleptocracy masquerading as public service. And in the wake of floods and disease, it has birthed a new epidemic: Kleptospirosis," Leachon added.

On 3 October, DOH Spokesperson Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo welcomed the interest of Magalong to launch an investigation into the alleged mismanagement of MAIP.