FORMER Department of Health (DOH) officer-in-charge (OIC) Maria Rosario Vergeire is now being eyed as a member of the Professional Regulatory Board of Medicine.
In a public announcement, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) bared that Vergeire is facing possible appointment as member of the Professional Regulatory Board of Medicine.
"The PRC publishes the list of applicants/nominees for the purpose of inviting anyone to inform the Commission of any derogatory information against any of them, which may render him/her unfit for the position as chairperson/member of the Professional Regulatory Board," said PRC.
To recall, Vergeire previously served as DOH undersecretary and spokesperson, especially during the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.
She served as DOH OIC from July 2022 to June 2023 under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration.
Vergeire returned to her role as DOH undersecretary under Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa before eventually leaving the agency in July 2025.
In a related development, the PRC disclosed that the Professional Regulatory Board of Medicine has decided to alter the order of examination subjects beginning with the March 2026 Physicians Licensure Examination (PLE).
"In view of the foregoing, the commission resolves to adjust the order of examination subjects to be administered starting the March 2026 Physicians Licensure Examination," said the PRC in a statement.
Under the new order, the subjects on the first day will be physiology; legal medicine, medical jurisprudence, and medical ethics; and pathology. The second day will see biochemistry; anatomy and histology; and microbiology and parasitology.
For the third day, examinees will have obstetrics and gynaecology, pediatrics and nutrition, and preventive medicine, while pharmacology and therapeutics, surgery, and medicine will be tackled on the fourth day.
The PRC said the change was adopted in a bid to ensure a more balanced distribution of the subjects.
"The proposed change is intended to assist examinees in better managing their daily study and preparation for the licensure examination," said the PRC. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)