Manila Bulletin
Duque, ex-DBM officer maintain no irregularity in transfer of ₱42-B COVID-19 fund
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and former DBM-PS chief Christopher Lloyd Lao defended the P42 billion fund transfer for face masks and shields without a memorandum of agreement (MOA).
They explained that the Department of Health's (DOH) own Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) was unable to handle the volume of needed procurements at the onset of the pandemic.
Duque stated that the DOH's attempt to bid through their central office BAC failed to find suppliers who could meet the required volume and quality of personal protective equipment (PPE).
The DBM-PS was utilized to manage the procurement of these essential pandemic supplies.
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Health Secretary Francisco Duque III stated that the Commission on Audit's (COA) report on the Department of Health's (DOH) P67.32 billion COVID-19 fund use has demoralized the agency.
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Health Secretary Francisco Duque III explained that a portion of the Department of Health's (DOH) P59-billion unspent funds from 2020 are still being utilized for salaries of medical personnel and procurement of essential medicines.
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President Rodrigo Duterte has publicly defended Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, stating he will not fire him despite calls for resignation.
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Senator "Bong" Go stated that he fully supports the Senate's investigation into the handling of COVID-19 response funds by the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
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