By Dr. Tony Leachon 

The Ombudsman now holds the authority to determine whether Health Secretary Jose “Brix” Pujalte Jr. should be preventively suspended amid serious complaints lodged against him. Malacañang has endorsed the case, placing it squarely under the jurisdiction of the anti‑graft body.

This moment demands fairness, agility, and moral courage. The Ombudsman must not exercise selective justice. A cabinet secretary accused of gambling is dangerous—not only because it violates the dignity of public office, but because it erodes trust in the very institution tasked with safeguarding the nation’s health.

The allegations extend beyond casinos. The deliberate delays in the purchase of anti‑tuberculosis treatments strike at the heart of public health. When medicines are withheld, lives are endangered. When accountability is delayed, justice is denied.

We cannot turn a blind eye to this huge problem, especially when our healthcare system is already in the ICU setting—fragile, underfunded, and struggling to serve millions of Filipinos. Selective justice would be fatal. It would embolden corruption, silence reform, and betray the sick and the poor.

The Ombudsman must act with integrity and urgency. Preventive suspension is not punishment—it is protection. It ensures that investigations are clean, untainted, and credible. It signals to the public that no one, not even a cabinet secretary, is above the law.

In times of crisis, justice must be swift and impartial. Anything less is complicity.

Tony Leachon