The Department of Health (DOH) asserted that no corruption was involved in the issue of the ₱67.3-B worth of deficiencies flagged by the Commission on Audit (COA).
DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III on Tuesday (Aug. 17) said that the commission should also consider that they were not operating under normal circumstances.
“Binibigyan diin po namin ang pera ng mamamayang Pilipino ay inilaan po para sa kabutihan ng taongbayan at hindi po winawaldas ng kagawaran,” Duque said.
He emphasized that they are operating under a state of public health emergency. He was dismayed by the COA’s judgment and called it “unfair” and “unjust.”
“Winarak na ninyo kami eh, winarak na niyo ang dangal ng DOH, winarak ninyo ang lahat ng mga kasama ko rito. Hindi kami makaharap sa mga tao dahil lahat ang dami-daming sinasabi, ang dami-daming paratang. Wala pa rin akong tulog, ilang gabi na ito. This is really unfair, unjust.”
COA Chairperson Michael Aguinaldo clarified that the 2020 Annual Audit Report on the DOH is not final and is subject to change.
In the hearing of the House Committee on Public Accounts, COA Chair Aguinaldo bared that the contents of the report on the DOH can still change.
“The annual audit report is not equivalent to an audit decision of the various audit observations made in the report. Gaya ng sinabi po may recommendations kasi yan eh kung ma-comply naman o ma-justify naman then there might be any adverse decision.”
In relation to this, in President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s Talk to the People, DOH Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega explained that the COA findings are “more of documentary issues.”
“The foregoing COA findings are more of documentary issues. Out of the 13 deficiencies, five were already resolved; three were partially resolved; and the remaining five are currently being complied,” he said.
Meanwhile, President Duterte slammed the COA over flagging the Health department amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“You make a report. Do not flag and do not publish it because it will condemn the agency or the person that you are flagging. The flagging is spelled f-l-a-g-g-e-d. Ang ginagawa ninyo is f-l-o-g-g-i-n-g. Flogging, hampas. Eh huwag naman sige kayong flag ng flag. Tapos wala namang napreso, wala naman lahat. And yet you know that when you flag, there is already a taint of corruption by perception. You know, this COVID-19 will never be won by the way you are also behaving,” he said.
“Alam ninyo emergency ‘to. It is a matter of life or death. So you have to understand and give it a little elbow room to move, make emergency purchases, mag-utang,” he added.
Moreover, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said President Duterte still trusts Health Secretary Duque amid the issue.
However, Roque clarified that the independent agencies in the country are free to investigate in accordance with their mandate.
“All probes can continue, the President has no power to control the House, nor the Senate, from investigating. The President cannot control the Ombudsman if it investigate. Pero in this particular instance, malinaw ang impression ng publiko, hindi ginastos yung 64 plus billion sa panahon ng pandemiya, eh nagastos naman pala, ang hinihingi lang MOA,” he said.
Report from Mela Lesmoras/NGS- bny
