Senators dismayed over DOH ‘incompetence’ in use of COVID-19 funds
The new normal: The Philippine Senate holds its regular flag-raising ceremony under the “new normal” policy with members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in attendance. (JOSEPH VIDAL / Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — Some senators expressed dismay on Wednesday over the deficiencies found by state auditors in the use of COVID-19 funds by the Department of Health (DOH), with one calling on the agency to unclog its procurement and supply chain “chokepoints.”
“If DOH were a patient, problematic spending appears to be one of its comorbidities,” Sen. Joel Villanueva said in a statement.
“For the pandemic to be defeated, or any public health challenge for that matter, logistics play an important role,” he added.
The Commission on Audit (COA) found deficiencies in how the DOH managed its P67.32-billion fund to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that it contributed to challenges that the country faced during the crisis.
READ: COA finds deficiencies on how DOH manages P67.32-B COVID funds
“They are simply confirming what we in the Senate have been saying all along. That incompetence and corruption in the [COVID-19] response has led to our being the worst performer in the Western Pacific Region,” Sen. Francis Pangilinan said.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson blamed the “incompetence” of the DOH for the deficiencies found in its handling of pandemic funds.
“From dropping the ball on the US vaccines earlier lobbied by [Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro] Locsin and [Philippine Ambassador] Babes Romualdez, to unrecognized [Philippines vaccination cards in Hong Kong, and now, the still unused P67.3 [billion while health workers are crying to get their P5,000 Special Risk Allowance, it’s incompetence, incompetence and incompetence,” Lacson said.
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Unclog ‘chokepoints’
“A COA report is like an MRI scan on the use of funds. This one on 2020 served as a diagnostic tool, and it clearly shows where the clogging is at the DOH,” Villanueva went on, speaking in Filipino.
“Of all the deficiencies enumerated by COA, the most disheartening is the delay in the procurement of mechanical ventilators. This should have fallen under expedited acquisition,” he added.
The senator stressed the need for the DOH to identify and address its procurement and supply chain “chokepoints.”
“When procurement is choked by inefficiencies, a COVID patient struggling to breathe dies down the line. We are hoping that there is a catch-up plan this year 2021 and that the ventilators at X-ray machines will be delivered,” he said.
He also suggested that the DOH implement “critical personnel hires in the field of procurement and supply chain management” to address the matter.
The DOH said it was already addressing the deficiencies flagged by COA.
It also maintained that in 2020 it exerted efforts to effectively implement provisions of the two Bayanihan laws — “more particularly those health responses in this time of a state of calamity or national emergency amidst varying challenges.”
