Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 14) — Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire was designated as the officer-in-charge of the Department of Health (DOH) while President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. continues to look for his secretary.
Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles on Thursday said Vergeire’s role as OIC can be extended if Marcos still cannot pick a DOH secretary by July 31, which is the deadline stated in the new administration’s first memorandum circular.
Vergeire has frequently faced the media and the public since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March 2020.
DOH thanked Marcos for temporarily entrusting the department under Vergeire’s supervision.
“Usec. Vergeire is the current Undersecretary for the Public Health Services Team and Office of the Chief of Staff. DOH appreciates the President’s confidence in one of its career executives, including the immense responsibility such trust brings,” it said in a statement.
Two weeks since Marcos assumed office, the president has yet to find the successor of former DOH chief Francisco Duque III.
