Heads must roll over deficiencies in DOH’s use of COVID funds — Zubiri

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” F. Zubiri. (Screen grab/Senate PRIB)

MANILA, Philippines — “Heads have to roll” over the “deficiencies” in the health department’s use of COVID-19 funds, particularly on the supposed non-release of special risk allowance to healthcare workers, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said.

“I’m sure they have department meetings, and when they meet… if the department heads are telling lies to the [Health Secretary Francisco Duque III] then I am giving the secretary the benefit of the doubt, baka binobola siya ng regional directors niya, e ‘di palitan nya o i-suspend niya,” Zubiri said in an interview on ABS-CBN News Channel Tuesday.

“Somebody has to get blame for this mess, particularly on the special risk allowance, Somebody has to actually… heads have to roll, particularly on the non-release of these funds,” he added.

A House lawmaker is seeking a congressional probe into the supposed failure of the Department of Health (DOH) to pay mandated allowances and other benefits to thousands of health-care workers.

In pushing for the inquiry, Marikina Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo cited concerns of healthcare workers “about not receiving the benefits promised” to them under Republic Act No. 11494, or the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act.

Meanwhile, the Commission on Audit (COA) found deficiencies on how the DOH handled pandemic funds worth over P67 billion, adding that it contributed to challenges that the country faced during the health crisis.

The House and the Senate are set to conduct separate investigations on the DOH’s use of its funds allocated for the COVID-19 pandemic response.

“We’ll ask the secretary to explain… At the end of the day, I hate to say this but it is command responsibility. With the COA reports somebody should apologize and say  you know ‘I screwed up’ and sana gumanda ang galaw nila,” Zubiri went on.

The DOH earlier said it was addressing the deficiencies flagged by COA.

The department also maintained that it has 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.”

Duque, for his part, has also assured all transactions of the DOH are accounted for and documented.

EDV