Duterte fires FDA chief
Credit to Author: RALPH VILLANUEVA| Date: Thu, 16 May 2019 10:43:23 +0000
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte fired Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Chief Nela Charade Puno for alleged corruption, Malacanang said on Thursday.
Duterte, through Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, gave the notice of termination on Wednesday and effective immediately.
“This is in line with the President’s mandate to eradicate graft and corruption and to ensure that public officials and employees conduct themselves in manner worthy of public trust,” the letter read.
Duterte then ordered Puno to turn over all documents, papers and properties to the Department of Health, to ensure uninterrupted delivery of services.
Puno was appointed by Duterte in 2016.
Puno, the youngest ever to head the FDA, was a pharmacy board topnotcher.
The termination came weeks after Duterte said he would be firing some government officials due to corruption.
“I will leave for China, and before that I will leave so many letters of dismissal,” he said during the opening ceremony of the seventh Union Asia Pacific Regional Conference in Pasay City last month.
He did not name any officials.
In the past, Duterte has fired several high-ranking officials and heads of offices accused of corruption, excessive travels and abuse of power.
The list includes former Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) secretary Ismael Sueno; National Irrigation Administration (NIA) chief Peter Lavina; Social Security System (SSS) commissioner Jose Gabriel “Pompee” Lavina; Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) Administrator Marcial Quirico Amaro 3rd; Commission on Higher Education chief Patricia Licuanan; Presidential Commission for Urban Poor (PCUP) chairman Terry Ridon and commissioners Melissa Aradanas, Manuel Serra Jr. and Joan Lagunda, among others.
Department of Labor and Employment undersecretary Dominador Say and Department of Tourism (DOT) Wanda Tulfo-Teo resigned because of corruption.
Other DOT officials were also asked to resign.
Malacanang also announced Duterte’s firing of Brig. Gen. Edwin Torrelavega, the chief of V. Luna Hospital and Col. Antonio Punzalan, the head of the logistics office of the military hospital, for allegedly undertaking anomalous purchases of equipment and engaging in fraudulent transactions worth P1.5 million.
Duterte dismissed the comptroller of the Philippine Military Academy, Hector Marana, for alleged malversation of P15 million in allowances of the cadets.
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