A DAILY TRIBUNE correspondent was barred from covering a Department of Health-Region 9 (DoH-9) event in Zamboanga City on Monday.

The incident occurred during the World AIDS Day commemoration at the Royce Convention Center on 1 December, when veteran journalist Nonoy Lacson — DAILY TRIBUNE

correspondent and president of the Zamboanga Peninsula Media Club Inc. — was stopped at the registration desk by a DoH-9 receptionist and an unidentified official.

Lacson was told his name and organization were not on the list of accredited media and were, therefore, being denied entry.

Eyewitnesses said the receptionist “yanked” the registration sheet from Lacson as he attempted to sign his name and affiliation.

Lacson left the venue immediately and declined requests from fellow reporters to return, saying that he “felt humiliated.”

Journalists covering the activity began leaving the venue hours later after learning he had been singled out.

Lacson said this was not the first time DoH-9 blocked legitimate members of the local press from covering its activities, noting that similar incidents had happened “occasionally” in the past.

DAILY TRIBUNE sought clarification from the DoH on the treatment of its correspondent, asking if the incident had been reported to the national office, whether the department recognizes DAILY TRIBUNE as a media entity, and what its general policy is on press access to DoH-organized events.

No call back

DoH spokesperson and Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo replied that such exclusion “is not a policy” and advised the newspaper to document the incident and write to the Secretary of Health.

Health Secretary Ted Herbosa has not been returning previous queries from the newspaper on matters brought to his attention.

Among these issues were audit reports that showed that the amounts of wasted healthcare products ballooned from P95 million in 2020 to P85.213 million in 2021, P7.4 billion in 2022, and P11.186 billion in 2023.

The DoH attributed the spike largely to stockpiled products during the Covid-19 pandemic and said reforms were underway to prevent future losses. It added that expired medicines undergo proper disposal and have an average shelf life of 18 months.

The DoH also acknowledged delays in vaccine deliveries and confirmed that its procurement officer had been terminated.

Herbosa had disclosed before the Independent Commission for Infrastructure that around 300 “super health centers” listed as completed remained unopened because they lacked electricity, water and medical staff.

DoH data showed that out of 878 super health centers funded since 2021, only 196 are fully operational, 17 are partially operational, and 365 remain under construction.

Herbosa said regional directors will be ordered to inspect all unopened facilities and that a “Citizens Participatory Audit” will be launched to gather reports on idle health structures.