Ombudsman dismisses administrative charges vs Duque

Metro Manila, Philippines — The Ombudsman has dismissed the administrative charges against former Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on technical grounds as he is no longer a government employee.

Duque appealed the charges of grave misconduct, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of service, and gross neglect of duty.

The Ombudsman said Duque “is no longer the proper subject of an administrative complaint” since he “had been separated from the service since 30 June 2022. Also, there is no evidence that Duque’s separation was attended by bad faith.”

“There is no denying that Duque’s separation from service coincided with the end of President Rodrigo Duterte’s term of office on 30 June 2022,” it added.

The charges against Duque stemmed from the P41-billion fund transfers of the Health Department to the Budget Department’s Procurement Service for the purchase of COVID-19 medical supplies in 2020.

NewsWatch Plus correspondent Daniza Fernandez contributed to this report.