COA report: Medical equipment in Makati overpriced by P61M
MANILA, Philippines - Several medical equipment purchased by the Makati City government during the term of Vice President Jejomar Binay's wife were also overpriced, according to a past special audit report disclosed by Commission on Audit (COA) Commissioner Heidi Mendoza.
Mendoza was invited to the Senate Blue Ribbon Sub-Committee hearing on the Makati City Hall II parking building on Thursday after it was revealed last week that irregular government transactions continued when Dr. Elenita Binay was the mayor from 1998 to 2001.
Mendoza was still an auditor when she led in 2001 and 2002 the special audit on the transactions during the term of Binay's wife.
She said the report discovered an overpricing of P61.2 million out of the total purchase price of P70.56 million in various medical equipment from a single supplier.
Mendoza said the overpricing was done through acts of falsification.
"Pinalabas po ng iisang supplier or contractor na siya ay exclusive distributor. Ibig sabihin po nito, wala pong public bidding na naganap," Mendoza said at the televised Senate hearing.
Sen. Antonio Trillanes said the findings shared by Mendoza were relevant since they show a "pattern" of corruption and overpriced transactions under the Binays.
The COA commissioner presented to the senators some of the report's highlights:
| Equipment | Makati purchase price | COA audit price | Overprice amount | Overprice in percentage |
| Autoclaves/sterilizers | P1,465,000 | P16,000 | P1,449,000 | 9,056% |
| Fetal monitoring system | P2,680,000 | P538,000 | P2,142,000 | 398% |
| Regular hospital bed | P148,000 | P9,032.76 | P138,867.24 | 1,537% |
| ICU bed | P545,000 | P34,123.76 | P510,876.24 | 1,497% |
| Orthopaedics bed | P480,000 | P24,087.36 | P455,912.64 | 1,893% |
| Ultrasound machine | P7,980,000 | P1,299,750 | P6,680,250 | 514% |
| Hospital Cabinets | P17,850 | P2,258.19 | P15,591.81 | 690% |
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