Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial can be charged in court in connection with alleged smuggling of more than 5,000 pieces of marine turtle or pawikan eggs from the Turtle Islands by a medical team from the Department of Health (DoH), according to a cause-oriented group. The lawyer explained that mere possession of endangered species and its derivatives, such as the eggs of the marine turtles, is punishable under Republic Act 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act. The eggs were hidden in five boxes and were only visible when Laja personally distributed the eggs to his staff in “sando” bags aboard a Navy vessel, the report stated.

Depasupil, W. B. (2017, March 10). DOH under fire over turtle-egg ‘smuggling’. The Manila Times, p. A3.