MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has designated Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire as the officer-in-charge of the department.
In a briefing Thursday, Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said Vergeire’s designation as officer-in-charge can be extended if the chief executive cannot appoint a DOH secretary by July 31.
Related Stories
According to Marcos’ first memorandum circular, officers-in-charge shall perform the duties of a top official until July 31, or until a replacement has been designated, whichever comes first.
Vergeire is currently the Undersecretary for the Public Health Services Team and the Office of the Chief of Staff. Last June, she was designated to head the National Vaccination Operations Center.
As the department’s spokesperson, Vergeire became the face of the government’s COVID-19 pandemic response.
In a statement, the DOH thanked Marcos for expressing confidence in one of its career executives.
“Each and every member of the DOH family shall work together to continue the gains instituted by previous administrations. We look forward to continuing our recovery from the pandemic, and working towards universal health care for all Filipinos,” the agency said.
Two weeks into his presidency, Marcos has yet to decide who will inherit the mammoth tasks of managing the COVID-19 pandemic and addressing the challenges in the healthcare sector.
The Philippines is once again seeing a spike in COVID-19 cases, fueled by the presence of fast-spreading variants, increased mobility of the public and waning vaccine immunity.
Cruz-Angeles also announced that Marcos nominated former Light Rail Transit Authority administrator Mel Robles as general manager of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.