Leachon seeks court order vs six-month suspension as PCP member

Dr. Tony Leachon, former special adviser of the defunct Covid-19 task force, shows the complaint sheet he lodged before the Office of the Ombudsman on May 25, 2026. —INQUIRER/JOHN ERIC MENDOZA

CALAPAN CITY, ORIENTAL MINDORO, Philippines — Dr. Anthony C. Leachon, past president of the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) and an independent health reform advocate, has filed a petition before the Regional Trial Court in Pasig City seeking to nullify the six‑month suspension imposed on him by the PCP.

In a statement on Tuesday, June 23, Leachon said that he filed on June 19, an application for temporary restraining order (TRO) and Writ of Preliminary Injunction intended to immediately halt the implementation of the penalty.

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Leachon said he brings the matter to court “not to weaken the institution, but to defend the principles of fairness, due process, and truth.”

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He continued to express high regard for the PCP and its thousands of internists, calling it an organization he once had the honor to lead.

READ: Leachon disputes reports naming ex-DOH exec as sole PCP complainant

“The credibility of a physician’s voice is everything. When reputation is unfairly tarnished, the causes we fight for are weakened,” he said in the statement, a copy of which was furnished the Inquirer.

Leachon maintained that his conscience is clear and that statements he made during legislative inquiries before Congress and the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, as well as in courts and public forums, were never meant to defame — but were exercised under constitutional rights to advance health, truth, and accountability, especially for underprivileged Filipinos.

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READ: Leachon vows to pursue Dengvaxia case; disputes PCP sanction

“At this stage of my life, I have little left to gain for myself. My greatest concern is the legacy I leave behind—as a physician, as a teacher, as a public health advocate, and as a Filipino,” Leachon further said.

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Drawing lessons from history, he noted that every meaningful struggle for truth carries a cost.

“If defending my name and principles requires me to stand alone, then so be it. But I do not believe I am alone. I believe many Filipinos who have been let down by PhilHealth now understand what is truly at stake,” he said.

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He added that his oath is to the patient, not to power, and to remain silent in the face of injustice is a betrayal of that oath. /cb