Abra exec gets 18-month suspension for shutting hospital during pandemic
BAGUIO CITY—The Office of the President has ordered the suspension of Abra Vice Gov. Maria Jocelyn Valera-Bernos for 18 months following findings of alleged “oppression, abuse of authority, conduct unbecoming of a public official, and disobedience to national government policies” when she ordered the lockdown of a private hospital in 2020 when she was governor of the province.
The decision, issued by the Office of the Deputy Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs (Desla) dated Aug. 12, stemmed from a complaint in 2020 by Dr. A.C. Voltaire L. Seares, the medical director of the Dr. Petronillo Seares Sr. Memorial Hospital, accusing then Governor Valera-Bernos of improperly imposing a lockdown on the private hospital amid the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Seares, the provincial government immediately imposed a lockdown on the hospital, located in Barangay Poblacion of La Paz town, after a nurse tested positive for COVID-19 in June 2020. Barricades were installed around the hospital and Barangay Poblacion was placed under extreme enhanced community quarantine (EECQ).
Seares claimed that individuals inside the hospital were prohibited from leaving, and the lockdown directive was disseminated through Valera-Bernos’ social media accounts.
The complainant argued the lockdown was imposed without sufficient basis and violated guidelines set by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Seares said the action was premature and without the concurrence of the Cordillera Administrative Region-Regional Inter-Agency Task Force.
“As a result of Governor Valera-Bernos’ acts, the freedom of movement and right to travel of various persons trapped inside the hospital were violated, resulting in undue injury and prejudice. The hospital owner’s property rights, as well as its doctors’ and other medical practitioners’ right to exercise a lawful profession, were curtailed. Most of all, the people of Abra were deprived of their access to health care,” Seares said in his complaint.
In February 2021, the Desla forwarded the case records to the Department of the Interior and Local Government for investigation, which, in turn directed Valera-Bernos to respond to the allegations in June 2022.
General welfare
After reviewing the reports and arguments from both parties, the Desla concluded that Valera-Bernos committed the offenses cited, regardless of her intentions to serve the public interest.
The decision stated, “While this office takes note of Governor Valera-Bernos’ defense that she acted in the interest of public safety and general welfare of the greater number of Abreños, and that the right to property and liberty during a state of calamity must yield to the general welfare of the people, her acts spoke otherwise.”
Consequently, Valera-Bernos was found guilty on all charges and was penalized with three separate six-month suspensions, totaling to 18 months.
In a statement on Thursday, Valera-Bernos rued Malacañang’s ruling, noting that similar charges against her had been dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman on May 4, 2022.
The Ombudsman had ruled that her actions were done in good faith and within the scope of her duties during a state of calamity.
The former governor asserted that the EECQ directive was not aimed at any specific hospital but was a necessary and immediate measure to mitigate the potential spread of the virus at a time when no effective controls or vaccines were available.
“My fellow Abreños, we should not allow the people behind this to triumph in these politically motivated character and reputation attacks against me,” Valera-Bernos said on Thursday.
Despite the suspension order, she assured the public that she, alongside her father, Abra Gov. Dominic Valera, would continue to prioritize the safety and welfare of the community. INQ
