President keeps saying there’s no money, but some funds were unused – Robredo

Vice President Leni Robredo (File photo from Philippine Daily Inquirer)

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo regrets that the Bayanihan 2 law lapsed last Wednesday with P18.4 billion still unspent that will only be returned to the national treasury.

“I’m really disappointed,” Robredo said on Sunday, speaking in Filipino, during her weekly radio “BISErbisyong LENI” which airs over AM radio DZXL. “The president keeps saying that we don’t have money, right? But the money was there. It was not spent.”

The unused amount could have been used to buy COVID-19 vaccines, she added.

“It was really a waste. I’m just thinking: If it had been given to us, on how many people could we have given administred vaccines?” she said.

Earlier, Robredo said she was hoping that the Office of the Vice President would be granted access to the vaccine supply for a smoother rollout of its Vaccine Express program.

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