Several senators lauded Thursday the designation of Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire as the officer-in-charge of the Department of Health (DOH), with one saying that the latter is even qualified to be the next Health chief.
"I am ecstatic on the appointment of Usec. Vergeire as OIC [Secretary] of the DOH as she brings with her all her experience fighting this COVID-19 and managing this pandemic," Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, who is set to be the next Senate president, said in a Viber message to reporters.
The lawmaker lauded Vergeire for being the face of the Health department and for doing her job without any "fanfare or politicking."
"She has my 100% support," he added.
Senator Bong Go, who is expected to retain his chairmanship of the Senate committee on health and demography, also welcomed the development, lauding Vergeire's dedication and passion to serve the country.
"We have seen her dedication and passion to serve, particularly during the Duterte administration, tirelessly working also at the forefront of our COVID-19 efforts," he said.
"I am confident that she will be able to steer the health department to the best of her abilities. Given her experience, we expect that our COVID-19 response efforts will continue to be strengthened especially when it comes to vaccination," he added.
For his part, Go vowed that the Senate health committee will work closely with the Executive department by supporting its plans and programs for the betterment of the health sector as well as the recovery of the country from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Senator Grace Poe also acknowledged Vergeire for being "very calm, seems knowledgeable, rational [fair] and impartial."
According to Poe, the Health official has been "straightforward" in updating the public and her professionalism as the spokesperson of the DOH has gained her respect among her colleagues and the public.
"She did not [engage] in fanfare. She may be a good candidate to consider for the DOH secretary position, eventually," she said.
Senator Sonny Angara also made a similar observation on Vergeire's professionalism in doing her task, hoping that the Health official will do well as the DOH OIC given their crucial role in the current situation of the country.
"She acquitted herself well during the pandemic with her calm and professional [demeanor]. Hopefully, she can lead the department well," Angara said.
"Very crucial ang kanyang departamento sa buhay ng mga kababayan natin. Sana walang magiging mga isyu sa paggastos ng pondo ng departamento lalo na sa mga malalaking kontrata at [alegasyon] ng katiwalian," he added.
(Her department is very crucial in the lives of our countrymen. I hope that there will be no issues on the disbursement of funds in her department especially if it involves huge contracts and allegations of corruption.)
On Thursday afternoon, Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles announced that Marcos has picked Vergeire as the OIC of the Health department.
Vergeire is expected to oversee and manage the country's overall health situation on top of the threats posed by the rising COVID-19 and dengue cases in the past few weeks.--AOL, GMA News
No comments:
Post a Comment