Senate probe sought on audit findings on DOH pandemic spending
MANILA, Philippines — Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has again managed to draw the ire of senators after state auditors flagged "deficiencies" in his department's spending of P67.32 billion in pandemic funds in 2020.
The Commission on Audit in a report released Wednesday said a majority of the flagged funds, P66.28 billion, were mainly due to "non-compliance of pertinent laws and rules and regulations." Auditors gave DOH an adverse opinion, noting that its financial statements did not "present fairly, in all material respects," the agency's financial position.
Later Wednesday evening, Duque issued a statement that all the funds flagged by COA have been accounted for. "No funds were mishandled and all were allotted for our people," he said in Filipino."Rest assured that the funds allotted to DOH are all spent for the procurement of test kits, PPEs, payment of HCWs' benefits, salaries among others."
But senators, a majority of whom have sought Duque's resignation over what they call his mismanagement of the country's pandemic response, were not convinced by Duque's assurances.
"We have always known that someone dropped the ball, and now, with the recent COA findings, we know exactly by how much," Sen. Risa Hontiveros said in a statement released Thursday.
The P67.32 billion flagged by COA, she said, could have funded benefits and sufficient wages for healthcare workers, the swift procurement of medical supplies, free healthcare services, and extra aid to the poor.
"[T]he DOH seems to be depriving thousands of Filipinos of healthcare services in the face of national emergency and it is nothing short of criminal," Hontiveros said.
'Disheartening' failure to swiftly procure mechanical ventilators
For Sen. Joel Villanueva, "the most disheartening" finding outlined in COA's report is "the delay in the procurement of mechanical ventilators" which "should have fallen under expedited acquisition."
"When procurement is choked by inefficiencies, a COVID patient struggling to breathe dies down the line," Villanueva said. "If DOH were a patient, problematic spending appears to be one of its comorbidities."
"I think DOH should make critical personnel hires in the field of procurement and supply chain management. For the pandemic to be defeated, or any public health challenge for that matter, logistics play an important role," he added.
This was also flagged by Sen. Panfilo Lacson who said Duque could not "satisfactorily" answer his questions "on DOH's supply chain issues and what he intended to do to resolve those issues."
"Am I surprised that he did not even bother to research in spite of his obvious lack of knowledge on the importance of the supply chain in his department? What gives? It's hubris," Lacson said.
"[Duque] only cares about his boss, [President Rodrigo Duterte] who, for reasons only they probably know cannot and will not remove him from office in spite of repeated calls from the majority of senators and other sectors."
Duque to face Senate in budget hearings, possible probe
Lacson said the reported mismanagement of pandemic funds will "definitely be taken up during the deliberations of the DOH's 2022 budget," noting that this is one of many issues hounding the agency.
Sen. Grace Poe also filed a resolution calling on the Senate to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation on the matter.
Sen. Grace Poe files a resolution urging the Senate to probe the DOH's utilization of the P67.32 billion in pandemic funds flagged by COA. @PhilstarNews pic.twitter.com/5s7s0oO34t
— Bella Perez-Rubio (@BellaPerezRubio) August 12, 2021
"These funds were provided to strengthen the agency's health resources in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the implementation deficiencies denied our countrymen their right to health at a time when it is most needed," the resolution reads.
- Latest
- Trending
