Allegations of tyranny, impropriety, inefficiency and ethical violations have surfaced against Dr. Daisy Villa, head of the Cebu City Health Department (CCHD), raising serious concerns about the department’s operations.
In a privileged speech during the Sangguniang Panlungsod regular session on Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, Councilor Mary Ann de los Santos expressed her frustrations with the complaints against Villa, as she called out the administration to review the alleged mismanagement and expose every act of misconduct by those who oppressed and degraded the health care workers.
“You will be accountable,” she warned.
During her speech, de los Santos revealed the alleged inhumane work conditions imposed on the midwives through Villa’s City Health Memorandum DSV-004-2024-044, which states that if midwives on 24-hour duty does not deliver a baby during their shift, they are not entitled to off-duty time the following day.
However, if one or more normal delivery cases are recorded in the health center logbook during their shift, they will then be entitled to off-duty the following day.
De los Santos said Villa’s directive to the healthcare workers blatantly violated Republic Act 7305, or the Magna Carta of Midwives, which states that the public workers required to render 24 hours of service shall be granted an extra day off immediately after each 24-hour duty.
De los Santos showed to the council a message from a CCHD midwife which reads, “nireklamo gyud ko sa ako sched. 64hrs/week, 56hrs/week. Twice ni duty ko 24hrs due to no deliveries gipaextend gyod ko duty. 8am-5pm sa other health center. At 12 noon ni hangyo na gyod ko mo half day kay wala ko kaligo nanimaho nang kili-kili ug nanimaho nang b***t. Grabe gyod ang abuse.”
(I complained about my schedule, 64 hours/week, and 56 hours/week. I worked 24 hours twice due to no deliveries and I was asked to extend my duty, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in another health center. At 12 noon, I asked if I could only work half a day because I had not taken a bath yet and my armpit smelled and my private part stinks. The abuse was so grave.)
“Such treatment is not only inhumane but also a blatant violation of our laws and the dignity of our healthcare professionals,” said de los Santos.
The councilor added that it is not only an abuse of authority but also issuing a patently illegal order that is inhumane, malicious, and oppressive.
“It is an arrogant display of power,” she said.
Also, de los Santos highlighted a complaint from a concerned citizen regarding an event held at the CCHD premises on July 5. The event, intended to be a solemn and respectful celebration of Nutrition Month, turned out to be suggestive of mere nudity.
As proof, de los Santos showed some photos sent to her office, which she showed during the session.
“It is nothing short of scandalous that our health department, a sanctuary of care and service, was transformed into a stage for suggestive and inappropriate displays under the guise of celebrating Nutrition Month,” de los Santos said.
Another issue de los Santos brought up is that the community reported a shortage of supplies, a lack of transparency in the distribution of allowances and benefits, and an unimpressive atmosphere where health workers are belittled and their grievances met with scorn instead of solution.
She said that a citizen reported to her office regarding the health center’s lack of medications and supplies, even basic necessities like face masks were missing.
Moreover, De los Santos said that the dedicated barangay health workers, nurses, midwives, and doctors have reportedly not received their health allowances since 2022.
She said that whenever they make queries to follow up their allowances, they get scolded, berated, insulted, and cursed like slaves.
De los Santos suggested that they needed to examine the leadership practices of Villa and her chiefs of staff, whom she named, Denzel Abejo, Medical Officer 3, Lidel Salarda, Nurse 4, Maely Sagiliama, Nurse 3, and Dalla Montebon, Nurse 3, who were reported to have supported and possibly enabled the detrimental policies and tyrannical actions.
Though de los Santos appreciated Villa’s efforts during the peak of the pandemic, she said that even if Villa tried to protect herself from the virus, de los Santos stressed that those “well-meaning” employees alleged Villa as the “virus” herself, with projectile, vomitus of toxic words during her fuming mood, in short, “Bastos!” said De los Santos.
The councilor said that this is not the first time that complaints against the doctor have reached her office.
She said that Resolution no.16 3266-2024 on April 3, which requested the mayor revisit the management of the CCHD, fell on deaf ears.
She added that on May 29, in Resolution No. 163857-2024, requesting Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia to call Villa, De los Santos said that Villa remained silent and continued to lord CCHD like a tyrant.
As a way to resolve the issue, she proposed a resolution, which no one in the August body contested, that requested the city mayor to direct the Cebu City Government resident ombudsman to conduct a thorough investigation and review administrative operations within CCHD, focusing particularly on the allegations of tyranny, impropriety, inefficiency, and incompetence under the leadership of Villa.
She also proposed for the CCHD to be asked to furnish the City Council its quarterly reports detailing their operational activities, inventory of supplies, volume of names of medicines received from the Department of Health, as well as the actual stocks of medicines purchased per health center and the status of employee benefits, to increase transparency with the public and other stakeholders.
She also requested the Human Resource Development Office (HRDO) to conduct a comprehensive review of all employment policies and practices currently enforced by the CCHD, particularly those relating to working hours and conditions for midwives and other health personnel, to ensure they meet ethical standards and labor laws.
She urged the City government, through the HRDO, to develop a support and recovery plan for health workers at CCHD who have been adversely affected by the alleged improper administrative practices, providing them with psychological support, rest periods, and compensation adjustments when necessary.
She resolved further that mechanisms for direct feedback from both health workers and the community be established and strengthened, ensuring that the voices of those directly impacted by the operations of the CCHD are heard and considered in policy making.
Councilor Rey Gealon moved for a corollary motion to request the CCHD submit a detailed report of the list of all midwives and their deployment, as well as their scope of work.
Meanwhile, Villa, in a phone interview on Wednesday, Aug. 7, said that she was surprised that the matter reached the council.
Villa said that she just received the complaints and believed that it was too premature to comment on the matter.
“It is an administrative matter that requires administrative corrective actions, at least on my part,” said the doctor. /JPS