CAPHRA Calls for Transparent, Accountable Leadership at the Philippine Department of Health

MANILA, Philippines - July 7, 2026 - PRLog -- The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) has released a formal statement expressing deep concern over serious allegations of financial and governance irregularities within the Philippine Department of Health (DOH). The statement stresses that every peso appropriated for public health represents the hopes of patients, families, healthcare workers, and communities, and that accountability in public health is both a legal obligation and a moral imperative.

CAPHRA respectfully calls on the President of the Republic of the Philippines to appoint new DOH leadership whose integrity is beyond reproach, not as a presumption of guilt, but to protect public confidence in a critical public institution. It further urges the Senate—through the Blue Ribbon Committee and the Committee on Health and Demography—to conduct a thorough, public inquiry in aid of legislation, examining financial records, procurement processes, and fund disbursements to identify and correct systemic weaknesses.

The statement also calls on the DOH, the Commission on Audit, the Department of Budget and Management, and other relevant agencies to fully cooperate with any investigation and provide an honest, complete accounting of public funds entrusted to them. CAPHRA affirms that the Filipino people deserve a healthcare system governed with integrity and transparency, and stands in solidarity with them in demanding nothing less.