Ombudsman urged to probe DOH exec’s flight upgrade

MANILA, Philippines — Is an upgrade from economy to business class enough basis to charge a government official for graft? For a group of health workers, the answer is yes.

In a letter dated June 4, the Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) urged the Office of the Ombudsman to conduct an “immediate, unsparing investigation” of Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa’s order allowing a department undersecretary to travel in business class to Geneva, Switzerland, for an international health assembly.

According to the AHW, both officials may be held liable for graft under Sec. 3(e) of Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Investigation welcomed

But the Department of Health (DOH) official concerned, Undersecretary Albert Francis Domingo, said on Tuesday that he welcomes the investigation “as that will clarify government regulations and procedures.” “Looking forward to it,” Domingo added in a statement.

The AHW based its call on Herbosa’s Department Personnel Order No. 2026-2590-A dated May 11, in which he reportedly allowed Domingo to upgrade his economy seat to one in business class for a round-trip flight to Geneva, Switzerland, for the 79th World Health Assembly held on May 17 to May 23.

“There is no operational necessity for an Undersecretary to be pampered in business class,” the AHW said in its letter to the Ombudsman. “An economy seat does not diminish a bureaucrat’s capacity to sit through a conference or represent the country.”

“By demanding and receiving a luxury flight upgrade, [Undersecretary] Domingo received an unwarranted private benefit, and [Secretary] Herbosa caused direct financial injury to the government through manifest partiality and evident bad faith,” the group added.

The Inquirer contacted Herbosa for comment, but he had yet to respond as of this writing. /cb