BY ANALOU DE VERA
The Department of Health (DoH) disclosed Friday that it has endorsed a complaint against Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) over his alleged quarantine breach last March.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire stated that the complaints filed by lawyer Rico Quicho against Pimentel already reached their office and forwarded it to the NBI for formal investigation.
“So, yes, tama. Nag-submit s’ya sa amin ng complaint and we have forwarded it to NBI,” said Vergeire, adding that it is their regular process when “we receive this kind of complaints.”
Quicho said Pimentel violated Republic Act. No. 11332 or the “Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act” after he accompanied his wife to a hospital despite being a “person under investigation” for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) last March.
Pimentel then confirmed that he tested positive for COVID-19.
“Kasi ang DoH naman usually, administrative dito sa amin. But with regards to this, meron ibang process na kailangan so we have submitted it to proper authorities,” she said.
On Thursday, Pimentel reportedly submitted his counter-affidavit before the Department of Justice (DoJ) in response to the complaint filed against him.
Meanwhile, Quicho “commended” the move of the Health department.
“I join them in their call for preferential action by these authorities to investigate and prosecute Sen. Pimentel pursuant to his violation of R.A. 11332. We would not stop until we get a conviction,” said Quicho in a Facebook post. (Analou de Vera)
