Chief of clinics Dr. Benito Bionat of the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital yesterday said through his lawyer Maphilindo Polvora that they are optimistic of an outright dismissal of the administrative charge raised by the legal section of the Department of Health against him.

Polvora said they submitted their answer to the DOH two weeks ago although they are questioning the procedure of its legal department in informing his client about the charges.

Bionat reported back to CLMMRH on Oct. 16 after his 90-day assignment order to Cebu had lapsed but found his office without any ventilation as the air-conditioning was removed and the next day, the locks were changed, Polvora said.

He added that Bionat went to the DOH central office in Manila last month to clarify his status but, instead of clarifications, Ronald De Veyra, head of the legal service, gave him the charge sheet and told him to consult his lawyer.

Polvora said he is confident of getting an outright dismissal for the charges against his client because he is innocent.

If the charges are not dismissed, he said they will file charges before the Civil Service Office and the Ombudsman against DOH Secretary Francisco Duque.

Polvora lamented the lack of observance of proper procedure in the legal department of DOH as far as the CLMMRH case is concerned, saying it implies that there is something more behind the oxygen scam which the department itself is trying to hide.

He added that the DOH lawyers can not pin down Bionat on the administrative charges against him since it was he who filed complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman in 2003 against CLMMRH chief Dr. Domingo Vega.

Unfortunately, the cases we filed before the Ombudsman were not acted upon up to now, Polvora said. It seems as if Vega is well-connected and an “untouchable” figure at CLMMRH, he said.

Meanwhile, CLMMRH administrative officer Brian Baylon, himself the subject of a transfer order to Cebu which he refused to acknowledged, yesterday said salaries of hospital employees covering Nov. 1-15 have been delayed anew.

His lawyer has also filed a complaint before the Civil Service Office and the Ombudsman questioning the transfer order earlier issued to him, he said.*NAB

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