Duque says Duterte ordered transfer of P47.6-B DOH fund to PS-DBM

Inquirer files

MANILA, Philippines—Former Health Secretary Francisco Duque III informed a panel of the House of Representatives on Monday that he transferred some P47.6 billion from his agency to the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) for the purchase of COVID-19 supplies on orders of then President Rodrigo Duterte.

During the oversight hearing conducted by the House committee on appropriations, Duque told members of the panel that “publicly, the order to transfer funds from [the Department of Health (DOH) to PS-DBM] was made by the President in our meetings in the weekly meeting or Talk to the People [program].”

When Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers party list Rep. France Castro asked him to clarify his statement, the former head of the health department at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic confirmed that the directive came from Duterte.

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“So it’s clear. P47.6 billion to be transferred to PS-DBM, publicly announced by the former President Duterte,” Castro said.

When pressed for an explanation by House Deputy Majority Leader and Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin, Duque maintained that it was well within his authority to transfer DOH funds to the PS-DBM for the procurement of protective equipment and other materials for the state of public health emergency.

He said that the decision was based on recommendations from the Interagency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, which he headed as health secretary.

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“I would like to reiterate that it is within my authority to effect the transfer because of the public health emergency where there [were] not enough CSEs (common-use supplies and equipment), PPEs (personal protective equipment), and other COVID pandemic supplies,” Duque pointed out.

He added that the IATF wanted to make sure that Filipinos were protected and health risks were mitigated at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a May 6 order, the Ombudsman endorsed criminal charges against Duque and Lloyd Christopher Lao over the “illegal” transfer of P41.46 billion in public funds from the DOH to the PS-DBM in 2020, in violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

It said Duque and Lao “acted with evident bad faith or gross, inexcusable negligence” when they authorized the movement of funds from March to December 2020.

The Ombudsman also found the pair guilty of grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, leading to their perpetual disqualification from reemployment in government and forfeiture of retirement benefits.