Palace stays Region 1 hospital chief’s suspension

DAGUPAN CITY, Philippines – Malacañang has issued a stay order on the 90-day preventive suspension issued by Health Secretary Enrique Ona against the chief of the Region 1 Medical Center (R1MC) here pending the resolution of his appeal.

Deputy Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs Michael Aguinaldo signed the order granting the appeal of suspended R1MC chief Roland Joseph Mejia. 

Mejia was placed under preventive suspension for alleged discrepancies found by an internal audit team on bidding and procurement procedures on some R1MC projects.

In a statement yesterday, Mejia thanked President Aquino for giving due course to his appeal for the lifting of his preventive suspension.

“I have chosen to elude the media for the past few days in order for me not to comment on an ongoing investigation (and) for that, I am sorry,” Mejia said.

“Be that as it may, I still cannot comment on the case filed against me and the BAC (Bid and Awards Committee) for it might jeopardize the investigation” being conducted by Ona’s office, he added.

Mejia said his lawyers also advised him not to hold a press conference.

He said he fully supports the DOH investigation “in order to ferret out the truth and clear my name.”

He said he holds no grudge against Ona, adding that he believes the DOH secretary would be objective in his decision.

With the Palace stay order, Mejia was back at R1MC on Wednesday while the designated officer-in-charge, Emmanuel Acluba, returned to the Cagayan Valley Medical Center where he is the hospital chief.

The Palace order asked Mejia to present his appeal memorandum within 15 days, and Ona to submit his comment within 15 days thereafter.

The DOH is directed to forward to Malacañang the records of Mejia’s case within 15 days from receipt of his appeal.

From its current 600-bed capacity, the R1MC is eyeing a 1,500-bed capacity with the construction of a P1.5-billion, 11-story building.