Vergeire dismisses ‘authoritarian rule’ accusations

MANILA, Philippines — Department of Health officer-in-charge Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire yesterday dismissed accusations of her exercising “authoritarian rule,” saying the allegations would not distract the DOH from doing what needs to be done.

“Since the President gave me his trust to be the DOH’s officer-in-charge, we will lead the department the best that we can. We will make sure that the mandate of the DOH will be implemented in an efficient, appropriate and inclusive manner,” Vergeire said at a press briefing.

At the same time, she pointed out that adjustments and changes are part of a new administration, and these include functional management restructuring.

“This is not new. All the previous administrations implemented restructuring based on the priority of the agency and the present administration,” Vergeire said.

She added that there is no need for a loyalty check among the department’s officials and employees.

“I know and I trust that our execom officials and our officials of the department have confidence in our systems. And I can vouch for their integrity,” the DOH official said.

“While universal health care (UHC) remains to be our goal, how we get there must be recalibrated and realigned based on our learnings from the pandemic as well as the priorities of our President,” she added.

For Vergeire, however, it is lamentable how her actions, which are not unusual, are being questioned, while similar initiatives are not when a male leads an agency.

“If a woman is vocal and decisive, she risks being called aggressive and difficult, while men are lauded for their passion and fire in the belly,” she said.

This developed after an unsigned letter addressed to President Marcos from a group of “DOH officers and employees” accused Vergeire of being an “authoritarian ruler” in the DOH.