CA panel recommends Herbosa’s appointment as Health Secretary

FILE PHOTO: Department of Health Secretary Dr. Teodoro “Ted” Herbosa attends the sectoral meeting presided over by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Malacaٌnang. Photo by Yummie Dingding/ PPA POOL

MANILA, Philippines — A panel of the Commission on Appointments (CA) finally recommended for confirmation the ad interim appointment of Dr. Teodoro “Ted” Herbosa as the country’s health chief.

No members of the CA’s committee on health objected when a motion to recommend Herbosa’s nomination was raised on Tuesday. The panel’s recommendation was expected to be transmitted for Senate plenary approval also this Tuesday.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. named Herbosa as chief of the Department of Health last June. However, the CA previously bypassed the confirmation of his appointment due to a “lack of material time.”

Marcos reappointed Herbosa in September.

Under Section 17 of the New Rules of the CA, nominations or appointments submitted by the President that are not finally acted upon or bypassed at the close of the session of the Congress shall be returned to the President unless new nominations or appointments are made.

Before he was appointed DOH chief, Herbosa served as a special adviser to the country’s task force against COVID-19, where his tasks included recommending strategies to mitigate the effects of the respiratory illness.