Department of Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said he is open to working hand-in-hand with the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) to investigate infrastructure-related anomalies within his agency.

“What I promised ICI is I will do investigation and case buildup,” Herbosa said in a press conference at the commission Friday.

The secretary revealed that there are around 300 non-operational super health centers but was also quick to point out that Local Government Units (LGUs) play a big part in the problem.

“It is the LGU that will make sure that it is connected to the electricals, to the water lines, and who will also hire the personnel—the doctor, the nurse, the midwife, the pharmacist,” he explained.

"The local government hospital is rotten, who are you blaming? Isn't it the Secretary of Health?" he added, while also citing the Local Government Code of 1991, which states that governors and mayors are responsible for the construction and maintenance of provincial and district hospitals.

Herbosa remarked that the only time the DOH comes into the picture is for grants.

Across agencies

According to Herbosa, ICI did not limit the investigation and invitation to the DOH, as it also opened its doors to the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Education (DepEd).

"ICI is not only for flood control; it is for government infrastructure," he expressed.

“All of us secretaries talk about infrastructure in our own departments,” he continued.

Herbosa recently visited an incomplete super health center in Marikina City, which was tagged as complete, but only the first phase of the project was finished.