Lacson: COA finds P18 billion ‘deficiency’ in DOH’s health facility projects
FILE PHOTO: Senator Panfilo Lacson speaks during a hybrid plenary session on Wednesday, August 4, 2021. (Photo by Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Panfilo Lacson on Wednesday bared a Commission on Audit (COA) finding of some P18 billion “deficiency” in the Department of Health’s (DOH) infrastructure projects under its Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP) from 2015-2020.
The legislator presented during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing COA data showing the inadequacies were some P2.8 billion in 2020, P3.8 billion in 2019, P4.5 billion in 2018, P4 billion in 2017, P1.5 billion in 2016, and P1.7 billion in 2015.
“We’re depriving the public of the benefits they could have derived from immediate and maximum use of these facilities,” Lacson said.
According to the Department of Budget and Management’s (DBM) website, HFEP is one of the banner programs of the Aquino administration to upgrade health facilities and provide training to health professionals in order to improve Filipinos’ access to quality healthcare.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, who was present in the hearing, told Lacson that he will order the creation of an inventory of the contracts for the HFEP infrastructure projects being questioned.
“Magpapagawa ako ng imbentaryo ng lahat ng mga kontrata nito at titingnan ko kung bakit hindi natapos at ano kaya ang mga circumstances. So I will have all the contracts reviewed,” he assured the senator.
(I will order the creation of an inventory of the contracts and will look at why these were not completed. I will have the contracts reviewed.)
Moreover, Lacson said the COA likewise recorded deficiencies amounting to P4 billion in the management of HFEP equipment from 2014 to 2020. He noted that in 2020 alone, the insufficiency was P1.2 billion.
He said, “proper implementation of this program would have been beneficial to our response to the pandemic.”
“Kapag nakita natin ang (If we will look at the) lapses in implementation through the years, in 2020 alone, equipment in the aggregate amount of P1.2 billion procured under HFEP were found to be either undelivered, unutilized, and without calibration and preventive maintenance. So sayang na naman ang pera ng bayan dito (Funds of the people were wasted here again), Secretary,” Lacson told Duque.
“Hindi ito usapin ng corruption. Usapin po ito ng inefficiency (This is not about corruption. This is a problem on efficiency),” he stressed.
Duque said he will order the checking of the concerned equipment and that he will direct regional directors of the DOH to give him a report on the matter.
“Magagamit pa naman ito. Irerecalibrate lang nang sa ganun ay makatulong sa ating diagnostics sa mga DOH-retained hospitals. We have about 74 retained hospitals. Ipapacheck ko po ito kaagad kung ano ang naging estado ng mga makinang ito,” Duque assured.
(These can still be used. We just need to recalibrate them so they can help with the diagnostics in DOH-retained hospitals. We have about 74 retained hospitals. I will have the status of the equipment checked.)
“Titingnan ko po, baka naman ito ay maisalba pa at siguraduhin lang na makuha ko ang report at ano ang mga recalibration efforts na dapat gawin to make them functional, if they are not yet functional,” he added.
(I will look at it. Maybe we can still use the equipment. I will ensure to get the report on the recalibration efforts needed to make them functional, if they are not yet functional.)
On top of these amounts, Lacson also noted that the COA found P956 million in irregular, unnecessary, and excessive expenditures at the DOH from 2016 to 2020.
The Senate panel looked into the 2020 COA report, which found deficiencies of P67.32 billion caused by non-compliance with pertinent laws and regulations on how the DOH managed its pandemic budget last year. The DOH, however, assured that the funds are accounted for.
RELATED STORIES
DOH seeks additional P10B budget for health facilities enhancement
Rift is over: Drilon, Go resolve funding issues in several local hospitals
