Manila: Malaca±ang on Thursday said the Office of the Ombudsman now has the authority to determine whether Health Secretary Jose 'Brix' Pujalte Jr. should be placed under preventive suspension following the filing of a complaint against him.

According to Philippines News Agency, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro stated that the complaint has been escalated to the Office of the Ombudsman, thereby placing it under the jurisdiction of this constitutional body. "Nasa hurisdiksiyon na rin po ng Ombudsman kung siya ay kinakailangan na magpataw ng preventive suspension para sa mas malinis na pag-iimbestiga sa naturang reklamo (It is now within the Ombudsman's jurisdiction to determine whether to impose a preventive suspension to ensure a cleaner investigation into the complaint in question)," Castro said during a press briefing.

Castro made these remarks in response to a question on whether President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. believes there is a necessity to place Pujalte under preventive suspension. She also mentioned that there has been no communication indicating that the President and the health secretary have had discussions regarding this issue.

The complaint against Pujalte, which was previously endorsed by the Presidential Complaints Center to the Office of the Ombudsman, reportedly involves allegations of an intentional delay in the procurement of anti-tuberculosis commodities. This complaint surfaced a week after Pujalte denied allegations linking him to gambling activities in casinos in Para±aque City.