The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) has issued its defense against allegations of irregularities in a multi-million deal with the Philippine Health insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).
In its statement, the PRC countered that all of its transactions are legal, following Sen. Leila de Lima’s claim that there are violations and conflict of interest on the side of Sen. Richard Gordon concerning the Php 100 million PRC-PhilHealth agreement for COVID-19 swab testing.
The PRC Board of Governors explained that the transaction under a memorandum of agreement between PRC and PhilHealth dated May 5,2020 is exempted from the Government Procurement Act (RA 9184) since it is covered by the Bayanihan to Heal as One (Bayanihan 1) Act.
It also pointed out that the Department of Health (DOH) has the authority to prioritize allocation and distribution of goods, supplies, and other needs to public and private laboratories that can conduct COVID-19 testing.
The fourth section of the said law mandates the government to partner with the PRC as a primary humanitarian agency in the delivery of assistance to the public against COVID-19.
On the conflict of interest allegation, the board said neither Gordon nor the PRC reached out to the government to offer the services of the Red Cross.
-Report from Eunice Samonte
