Vergeire thanks Marcos for opportunity to serve

MANILA (2nd UPDATE) - President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos has tapped former health spokesperson Dr. Maria Rosario Vergeire as the officer-in-charge of the Department of Health (DOH), Malacañang said on Thursday.

When asked why Marcos designated an officer-in-charge instead of a secretary for the DOH, Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said: "Pinagpipilian pa kung sino ang magiging o mamumuno sa Department of Health."

Angeles said she had no information on how many candidates are being considered for the DOH's top post.

Based on the Palace's Memorandum Circular No. 1 designated OICs will fulfill their responsibilities until July 31 or until a "replacement has been appointed."

"Ine-expect natin na kung wala pang naitatalagang pinuno ang DOH before that time, ay ieextend ang pagka-OIC," Angeles said.

"But titingnan po natin kung ano ang mangyayari during that time. Medyo speculative pa po kasi ngayon," she said.

(We are expecting her designation as OIC to be extended if the President has not yet chosen the head of the DOH at that time. But we will have to see what will happen during that time. It's still speculative as of now.)

Vergeire thanked Marcos and the Filipino public for the "opportunity to serve."

She vowed to continuously communicate with different sectors to ensure that no one would be left behind in attaining universal health care.

"Agarang hangarin po naming lahat sa Kagawaran na paigtingin ang pagbakuna, mapigilan ang pagdami ng kaso ng COVID, at mapangalagaan ang kapakanan ng mga health workers," said Vergeire.

In a statement, DOH also thanked Marcos for appointing Vergeire as its OIC, noting "the immense responsibility such trust brings."

"Each and every member of the DOH family shall work together to continue the gains instituted by previous administrations," the statement read.

Vergeire became the face of government's COVID-19 response at the height of the pandemic in 2020, facing members of the media to give updates on fresh infections and the emergence of more transmissible virus variants.

Before being appointed as the agency's spokesperson, Vergeire led the agency's Public Health Services team. Last month, she was designated to lead the National Vaccination Operations Center.

• Vergeire to head vaccine operations center

Vergeire became an assistant secretary of the DOH in July 2015, under the administration of the late President Benigno Aquino III.

Marcos named his DOH lead two weeks after he assumed the country's highest office and as COVID-19 cases continued to rise.

The country recorded 10,743 or an average of 1,535 daily new cases from July 5 to 11, Vergeire earlier said. The figure was 41 percent higher than the previous week and was as high as the number of cases during the last week of February, she added.

• PH detects 79 more cases of omicron subvariants: health dept

Despite the rise in cases, the country's healthcare utilization remains at a "low risk" 22 percent.

NO INFO ON NEW ALERT LEVELS

Angeles said she also had no information when the Inter-Agency Task Force would meet to reconsider restrictions and alert levels that are set to expire on July 15.

"Hindi po natin masabi kung kailan sila magmi-meet. Ang masasabi lang po natin ay tuloy-tuloy naman po ang trabaho ng IATF. Hindi naman po sila naantala kahit na nagbago ng administrasyon," she said.

"Puwede naman tayong gumawa ng extension for necessary agencies, so we will see," she said.

(We cannot say when they will meet. What we can only say is that the IATF has been continuing its work. They were not delayed by the change in administration. We can extend the designations for necessary agencies.)

The IATF, which was created under the Duterte administration, is supposed to be headed by the DOH secretary.

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