Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) Director-General Jeremiah Belgica (Photo from ARTA)
ARTA Director-General Jeremiah Belgica made the statement after ARTA issued a show-cause order FDA Center for Drug Regulation and Research (CDRR) Director IV Jesusa Cirunay to “explain why no administrative or criminal case should be filed” against her for supposedly sitting on over 600 drug applications filed since 2014 despite completeness of submission of various pharmaceutical companies.
In a virtual public briefing, Belgica asked Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and FDA Director-General Eric Domingo to cleanse the FDA as he pointed out that more complaints against the agency are pouring in.
“Iyong reklamo hong pumapasok, Center for Drugs pero pati rin ho sa ibang mga centers ay may mga pumapasok na din po sa amin na mga affidavits (The complaints we have are for the CDRR but we have affidavits coming in complaining about other centers of the FDA),” he said during the Laging Handa briefing.