The Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday (Aug. 11) clarified that the P67.3 billion flagged by the Commission on Audit (COA) in its recent report is accounted for.
The DOH acknowledged the findings concerning these funds, and said it is currently addressing the said compliance issues and deficiencies.
“The P67.3 billion is accounted for,” said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III. “Wala pong kinurakot, inilaan natin ang mga pondong ito para sa ating mga kababayan. The flagged issues are being addressed by the DOH. Rest assured that the funds allotted to the DOH are all spent for the procurement of test kits, PPEs, payment of HCWs [healthcare workers] benefits, salaries of HRH [human resources for health], among others,” he added.
The DOH further explained that of the P79.7 billion COVID-19 funds received by the agency based on COA reports, P68.9 billion was utilized as of December 31, 2020 for the government’s COVID-19 response.
Moreover, with the enactment of Republic Act No. 11519 extending the availability of appropriations under the Bayanihan II Act, the Department was still able to utilize the unobligated balance for this year.
In the end, the DOH said it has always been transparent and cooperative with yearly auditing efforts within the government, and has always complied with COA recommendations.
“Bukas po ang aming tanggapan at handa po kaming ipakita sa ating mga kababayan na tama ang paggastos ng kanilang mga taxes. We take our COA findings very seriously and have been working to further improve our processes and controls so that we can serve the public most effectively especially during this pandemic, ” Duque said. (DOH) – jlo
