A Department of Health (DoH) official who was arrested in connection with the alleged sale of guarantee letters or Medical Assistance to Indigent Patients (MAIP) was reappointed by Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa.

The arrested individual was identified as Ronillo A. Bernal, who was charged with estafa under Article 315, paragraph 2(A). Bernal had only recently been appointed as Supervising Health Program Officer under the Public-Private Partnership Program Office and the Malasakit Program Office.

Initial information revealed that Bernal had previously been sacked pending investigation for similar allegations and was reportedly dismissed from service. A few months later, he was reappointed to the DoH and even given a more critical role through a personnel order signed by Secretary Herbosa. He was also directed to report to the office of Undersecretary Elmer Puzalan.

According to the initial investigation, Bernal was involved in distributing MAIP funds to partner hospitals. Several patients came forward claiming they were charged a “processing fee” in exchange for the approval of their MAIP requests — a practice not included in the official procedure. Some also reported that they were denied assistance if they did not pay the requested amount.

Various groups also urged a thorough review of the appointment and supervision processes for personnel handling sensitive programs like MAIP, especially since thousands of patients rely on this form of assistance.