PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has reappointed Teodoro “Ted” Herbosa as secretary of the Department of Health (DH) after the Commission on Appointments (CA) bypassed his designation as a member of the Cabinet.
The Presidential Communications Office announced the appointment of Herbosa as interim secretary of the DoH in a Facebook post on Friday.
The Commission on Appointments (CA) on Tuesday bypassed the ad interim appointment of Herbosa due to “lack of material time.”
Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go, chairman of the CA Committee on Health, suspended the hearing on Herbosa’s appointment, saying that the committee members have more questions to ask the nominee but do not have the time.
Go said that the committee’s action has been deferred to their next hearing in November when Congress returns after a legislative break.
However, he clarified that Herbosa may need to be reappointed to continue his work at the DoH. Congress goes on recess starting Thursday, September 28.
Article 7, Section 16 of the Constitution states that the President “shall have the power to make appointments during the recess of the Congress, whether voluntary or compulsory, but such appointments shall be effective only until disapproved by the Commission on Appointments or until the next adjournment of the Congress.”
Marcos named Herbosa to lead the DoH in June. He served as DoH undersecretary from 2010 to 2015 and held the post of regional director at the DoH National Capital Regional Office.
Herbosa also served as special adviser to the National Task Force Against Covid-19.
Meanwhile, the President also appointed former Armed Forces chief Andres Centino as presidential assistant for Maritime concerns, with a rank of secretary.
Centino first served as chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines from Nov. 12, 2021 to Aug. 8, 2022.
Marcos appointed Centino anew as the head of the AFP in January 2023, replacing retired Lt. Gen. Bartolome Bacarro.
Centino’s previous assignments include Commander of the 4th Infantry Division, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations (J3), and Commander of the 401st Infantry Brigade.
Also appointed by the President were Lorna Francisca Catris Cheng, Ma Consejo Gengos-Ignalaga, and Raymond Joseph Javier as associate justices of the Court of Appeals; Henry Angeles as associate justice of the Court of Tax Appeals; and Juliet Manalo-San Gaspar as associate justice in the Sandiganbayan.
