Health Undersecretary Camilo Cascolan (File photo from the Facebook account of the Philippine National Police)
MANILA, Philippines — Health Undersecretary Camilo Cascolan, a former chief of the Philippine National Police, has been assigned to manage the logistics of COVID-19 vaccines in the entire Visayas.
Cascolan assumed office on Monday, Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, the officer in charge of the Department of Health (DOH), said in a press briefing on Tuesday.
“I specifically instructed him to look into, first, the vaccination coverage in the areas; second, logistics management to inventory all of our commodities, specifically COVID-19 vaccines,” Vergeire said.
Vergeire also instructed Cascolan to develop a mechanism to hasten the inventory and management of vaccines and other health commodities in his area of responsibility, which covers three regions — Western Visayas, Central Visayas, and Eastern Visayas.
“Based on his credentials, he had experience in procurement [and] logistics management during his time in his previous work,” Vergeire pointed out.
Cascolan’s appointment as a DOH undersecretary came as a surprise and was met with cheers and jeers from the public.
He urged critics of his appointment to give him a chance to prove himself.