MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Vicente Sotto III said on Saturday that the Senate would scrutinize the allocation for health — including funding for vaccination and a health information campaign — once the upper chamber conducts its hearing on the 2020 national budget.
The Department of Health has enough funds for it information campaign, he said in an interview over radio station DWIZ.
“What we want to scrutinize is how [the funds] are used. Much of it has gone to waste,” Sotto added, speaking partly in Filipino. “The fund should easily be transferrable to the immunization program, which is important.”
The Department of Health (DOH) earlier confirmed the resurgence of polio, 19 years after the country was declared polio-free.
READ: DOH: After 19 yrs, polio back in PH
A three-year-old girl from Lanao del Sur was diagnosed with a vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2. A second case was found in Laguna province which involved a five-year-old boy.
READ: DOH reports 2nd case marking polio reemergence in Philippines
“The Senate will surely watch over [the budget], particularly because the subcommittee chair is [Sen.] Bong Go. Health is his number one priority.”
Sotto also stressed that he and Sen. Panfilo Lacson had always been very keen on scrutinizing the health budget every year.
On Friday, House of Representatives approved the 2020 General Appropriations Bill (House Bill No. 4228) on second reading and then on final reading right after by a 257-6 vote.
READ: House swiftly OKs P4.1-T nat’l budget for 2020 after only a month of debates
/atm