MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) has endorsed a complaint against Senator Koko Pimentel for the alleged breach of quarantine protocols to the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
Lawyer and former University of Makati dean Rico Quicho, who sued Pimentel for allegedly violating quarantine protocols in March, announced on Twitter that the complaint has been “formally endorsed” by the DOH to the PNP and the NBI.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire confirmed this in an online media forum on Friday.
“We have forwarded it to NBI and PNP,” Vergeire told reporters.
The complaint stemmed from an incident in March when the Makati Medical Center said Pimentel breached its infection and containment protocols when he went to the hospital with his wife who was to give birth even after exhibiting symptoms and getting tested for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The hospital said Pimentel’s visit “unduly exposed healthcare workers to possible infection.”
Pimentel found out he was positive for the respiratory disease the same day he went to the Makati Medical Center, prompting the hospital to disinfect its facilities.