THE COMMISSION on Appointments (CA) deferred for the second time yesterday the ad interim appointment of Health Secretary Paulyn Jean B. Rosell-Ubial, leaving her with just one more chance to face the CA members amid issues of frequent travels and policy decisions.

During the deliberations, Senator Vicente C. Sotto III pointed out that Ms. Ubial, who has been previously bypassed twice by the CA, made six foreign trips in just two and a half months.

Ms. Ubial, who took the post of Department of Health (DoH) secretary on July 1, 2016, said she had traveled 15 times, most of which were “two activities in one travel.”

She added that three of those trips were ordered by President Rodrigo R. Duterte.

Ms. Ubial also said that the trips were funded by the government and international agencies, not by pharmaceutical companies.

No date has been set for the next CA hearing on her confirmation and Congress will end its session on Oct. 13.

If Ms. Ubial’s appointment is not decided upon before Congress closes, it would be deemed bypassed. Under the new CA rules, an official bypassed for the third time would not be eligible for reappointment.

Apart from her trips, Mr. Sotto also asked Ms. Ubial about the DoH’s purchase of condoms.

“Eto P159 million pang-condom lang, is this correct? This is what we saw in the 2017 budget,” asked Mr. Sotto.

“I’m still trying to look for it but the majority of the HIV/AIDs budgets is actually the anti-retrovirals that will be procured and test kits for screening HIV/ AIDS because of the increasing numbers of individuals with this disease in the country,” the health chief replied.

Furthermore, Ms. Ubial said that the DoH is no longer “procuring any condom commodities for 2017 and 2018 because there are still about 10 million on stock.”

For his part, CA member Senator Emmanuel D. Pacquiao cryptically asked Ms. Ubial if her family supports her in her endeavors, particularly her son, Karl.

However, due to time constraints, she wasn’t able to answer Mr. Pacquiao’s query.

“Actually, when I was designated secretary in June I didn’t have office staff to work with me so my son went with me to all the functions and I had to have an ID from the Department of Health (for him). So he signed a contract, P1 consultant. He has a contract as a consultant of the DoH because of this ID,” she explained to the media after the deliberations.

She added that her son, Karl, worked with her between the months of June and July before starting his schooling in August.

“My son travels with me but I pay for everything,” she added.

Asked if he was satisfied with Ms. Ubial’s answers, Mr. Sotto told the media that the answers demand follow-up questions.

For now, the senator said, “No, I’m not kasi hindi kumpleto ang sagot (the answers are incomplete).”

Ms. Ubial is also facing three oppositors, namely: Kabayan Representative Harry L. Roque, lawyer Restituto Mendoza, and ACTS OFW Representative Aniceto John Bertiz III. — Mario M. Banzon

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