Byan Muna Rep. Eufemia Cullamat. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / ERWIN MASCARIÑAS
MANILA, Philippines — Party-list group Bayan Muna on Wednesday called on the resignation of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III after the Commission on Audit (COA) finds deficiencies in the Department of Health’s (DOH) management of P67.32-billion COVID-19 funds.
“Kailangan nang mag-resign ni Sec. Duque sa lantarang kapabayaan at korapsyon na nagaganap sa DOH,” said Bayan Muna Rep. Eufemia Cullamat in a statement.
(Sec. Duque must resign over the blatant negligence and corruption that is taking place in the DOH.)
“Imbis na sa pagtugon sa pandemya at paggugol sa bakuna at pagsasaayos ng mga pasilidad sa ospital, ang pera ng taumbayan ay napupunta sa korapsyon at pamamasista. Hindi natin ito dapat payagan,” she added.
(Instead of responding to the pandemic and spending on vaccines and renovating hospital facilities, the people’s money goes to corruption and fascism. We must not allow this.)
This came after COA, in its annual report, revealed deficiencies in the health agency’s management of its P67.32-billion fund to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cullamat questioned where the billions of funds are, taking a jab at President Rodrigo Duterte who has frequently said that the country does not have enough funds against the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Paulit-ulit na sinasabi ng administrasyong Duterte na wala tayong sapat na pera, pero ano itong napakalaking deficiencies na nasa report ng COA? Parang isang bula ba ito na nawala agad? Nasaan napunta ang mahigit na P67 billion pondo?” she said.
(The Duterte administration has repeatedly said that we do not have enough money, but what are these huge deficiencies in the COA report? Is it like a bubble that disappeared immediately? Where did the more than P67 billion funds go?)
Cullamat then lamented the current state of the country’s frontliners who only get paid a measly amount despite being the main fighters against COVID-19 pandemic; she also noted how hospitals around the country lack the necessary equipment and capacity.
“Nakakapagduda talaga ang ganitong ulat ng kawalan ng maayos na records, o baka nagmamanupaktura pa ng iuulat? Pareho ang NTF-Elcac (National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict) at DOH na bilyones ang pondo, at parehong may deficiencies sa audit ng public funds na allocated sa kanila sa panahon ng pandemic,” Cullamat said.
(Lacking these proper records is really suspicious, or maybe they are still manufacturing what to report? Both the NTF-Elcac and DOH have billions in funding, and both have deficiencies in auditing public funds allocated to them during the pandemic.)
“Lantarang pangungurakot ito sa harap ng lugmok na kahirapan at gutom ng marami. Habang ang mga opisyal ng ahensyang ito ay nagpapakabusog sa pera ng taong bayan, nakasadlak tayong mahihirap sa lumulobong dayuhang utang,” she added.
(This is outright corruption in the face of those stricken by poverty and hunger. While the officials of this agency are feasting on the people’s money, we are mired in the increasing foreign debt.)
Duque, on the other hand, earlier stated that the DOH is already working to address the COA’s flagged deficiencies over the department’s P67.32 billion COVID-19 response budget.
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