Palace: ‘Numerous complaints’ vs ex-FDA chief reached Duterte

Recently sacked Food and Drug Administration Director General Nela Charade Puno (File photo by LYN RILLON / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

MANILA, Philipines — President Rodrigo Duterte has received “numerous complaints” against recently fired Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director-General Nela Charade Puno, Malacañang revealed Wednesday.

“The President also wants to share to the public that he has received numerous, as in numerous complaints from doctors, including his own doctor about the former director general (Puno), and many complaints from other sectors,”  Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a Palace press briefing.

Puno has denied the alleged corruption accusations, saying she was  “clueless as to what these are.”

READ: Sacked FDA chief ‘clueless’ about ‘corruption allegations’ against her

Panelo said the findings of the  Commission on Audit and other documents would be submitted to the Department of Justice for the possible filing of charges against Puno.

In the same briefing, Panelo showed a letter from the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP), commending Duterte’s firing of Puno.

“We fully support your resolute actions at the FDA, including the replacement of its director general, for us to effectively and efficiently conduct commerce that is consistent with your agenda of increasing competitiveness and ease of doing business to fuel human capital and economic development,” PHAP executive director Teodoro Padilla said in his May 17 letter to the President. (Editor: Katherine G. Adraneda)