Aragones faces new graft complaint over chemo center
Second complaint questions operating permit of Laguna Medical Center's free chemotherapy facility; governor calls allegations political harassment.
SANTA CRUZ, Laguna — Laguna Governor Sol Aragones is facing another graft complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman, this time involving the operation of the provincial government's free chemotherapy facility at the Laguna Medical Center.
The complaint, reported on Tuesday, 13 October, questions the facility's alleged lack of a Permit to Operate, raising concerns over regulatory compliance in the delivery of cancer treatment services.
According to the Laguna provincial government, the latest complaint was filed by Provincial Board Members Lorenzo Zuñiga Jr. and Carla Adajar, together with Jonel Osio, a dismissed supervising administrative officer of Laguna Medical Center.
The new complaint follows an earlier graft complaint involving alleged irregularities in the provincial government's examination review assistance program.
Aragones rejected suggestions of wrongdoing and described the successive complaints as politically motivated.
The governor said her office had not yet received an official copy of the latest complaint and would respond through the appropriate legal process after reviewing the allegations.
She also accused the complainants of repeatedly targeting her administration.
The provincial government maintained that it was prepared to address the allegations once the formal complaint had been received and examined.
The latest case raises questions about the chemotherapy facility's regulatory compliance, including whether the required operating authorization had been secured before services were provided to patients.
However, the alleged permit deficiency has not been independently established, and the filing of a complaint does not constitute a finding of wrongdoing.
The Department of Health's regulatory records and the facility's operating documents would be central to determining whether the allegations have merit.
The Office of the Ombudsman has yet to publicly confirm any finding of administrative or criminal liability arising from the latest complaint.