A group calling itself “Concerned Health Workers” has formally lodged a complaint with the Office of the Ombudsman against Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Glen Matthew Baggao, alleging systemic conflict of interest and violations of government procurement laws.
The complaint, filed on April 30, accuses Baggao of breaching the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, the Code of Conduct for Public Officials, and the Government Procurement Reform Act. The group specifically pointed to his role as head of the Health Facilities Enhancement Programs (HFEP), which manages billions in health infrastructure funds.
“We urgently demand the immediate intervention of the Office of the Ombudsman in what constitutes a dire and escalating crisis within the Department of Health (DOH). As Concerned Health Workers, we raise a red flag and call for action regarding the appointment of Undersecretary Glen Matthew Baggao as the head of the Health Facilities Enhancement Programs (HFEP). This appointment threatens the integrity of our nation’s health system and puts billions of pesos at risk,” the complaint stated.
Central to the allegations is the purported link between Baggao and a family-owned construction business. The group claims that leaving the nation’s health infrastructure budget under his supervision invites corruption.
“Leaving the nation’s multi-billion-peso health infrastructure budget in the hands of an official whose family owns a construction empire — already mired in “ghost project” scandals and Senate investigations — is a recipe for a catastrophic loss of public funds,” the group alleged.
The health workers detailed five specific infrastructure projects totaling ₱140.99 million—including Super Health Centers and district hospitals—allegedly secured by EGB Construction, a firm owned by Baggao’s brother, Erni Baggao.
“From the time of his appointment up to present, EGB Construction, owned Erni Baggao – Respondent’s brother – secured five health infrastructure projects totaling ₱140.99 million — three from the DPWH and two from the Isabela provincial government…”
The complainants further alleged that Baggao wields the power to “rig” the bidding process by tailoring technical specifications to favor his family’s firm.
“Respondent has the authority to dictate the technical specifications and ‘Terms of Reference’ for projects. By setting specifications that only a firm with his family’s specific heavy equipment and regional footprint can meet, he effectively ‘rigs’ the DPWH bidding process before it even begins,” the filing read.
The group warned that such preferences discourage independent contractors and destroy the competitiveness required by law.
“By signaling a preference for family-linked entities, Respondent discourages legitimate, independent contractors from participating in the bidding process, thereby destroying the ‘competitiveness’ required under Section 3 of R.A. 9184, as amended by RA 12009,” they added.
In addition to criminal prosecution, the group is seeking administrative sanctions, citing Baggao’s “untenable workload” as a source of poor oversight and inefficiency within the DOH.
“Respondent’s untenable workload—managing national programs, a regional hospital, and eight massive regions—guarantees administrative bottlenecks and a lack of oversight. This severely compromises the efficiency and integrity of the DOH,” the complaint concluded.