Governor Victorino Dennis Socrates is fighting to stay in the gubernatorial race as the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) weighs a disqualification complaint against him tied to the election ban on transfers and details.
The complainant against the incumbent governor was Dr. Amabel Labor, the former chief of hospital (CoH) at the Southern Palawan Provincial Hospital (SPPH).
A Palawan News source said the DQ complaint is related to Dr. Labor’s posting to the Provincial Health Office (PHO) last year after Socrates dismissed her as the SPPH’s hospital head and appointed an officer-in-charge. Subsequently, she was ordered to return to the SPPH this year, but this time as the head of an OIC-controlled division. The election prohibition was said to have covered this reinstatement.
The source added that Dr. Labor argues that, rather than being under the OIC’s supervision, she ought to have been reinstated as the head of SPPH.
Palawan News sought Atty. Christian Jay Cojamco’s comment regarding the disqualification complaint against Socrates, which he confirmed.
“What we can say now is that we confirm that. The governor already filed his answer to the DQ case before the COMELEC. The governor received the summons from COMELEC last April 2,” he said in a message. Cojamco, the Provincial Information Office (PIO) chief, did not provide other details regarding the matter.
In a separate effort, Palawan News also sought Dr. Labor’s comments, but didn’t get any reply.
