PACC to NBI: Probe Robredo for ‘competing with national govt’ in fight vs COVID-19

Vice President Leni Robredo oversees the preparation of personal protective equipment (PPE) sets that will be delivered to another batch of hospitals on Tuesday, March 24, 2020. PHOTO FROM OVP

MANILA, Philippines — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) should probe Vice President Leni Robredo for “illegal solicitations” and for supposedly competing with the national government’s efforts against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) said.

PACC Commissioner Manuelito Luna said these efforts include Robredo’s free shuttle services, distribution of personal protective equipment (PPEs) for health workers, among others.

“The National Bureau of Investigation should investigate Vice-President Leni Robredo for illegal solicitations, actions that compete with, or calculated to undermine, national government efforts in this time of public health emergency or national calamities, such as OVP’s free shuttle service and dormitories for health workers, and PPEs for health workers,” Luna said Thursday in a statement.

He said this may be in violation of the “NDRRMC [National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council] Law and its [Implementing] Rules and Regulations, the Solicitation Permit Law and Related Issuances, the measures and protocols of the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emergent Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to arrest the spread of SARS-CoV-2, and for accounting.”

Robredo has rolled out several projects through her office in support of the country’s frontliners addressing COVID-19.

The Office of the Vice President (OVP) earlier raised P36 million for the procurement of PPEs for health workers. As of March 31, Robredo said they were able to distribute over 32,000 PPEs in the National Capital Region and Luzon.

A free shuttle service for health workers was also launched following the suspension of public transportation due to the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine.

The OVP also opened free dormitories that will serve as temporary shelters of the frontliners.

President Rodrigo Duterte placed the entire Luzon under a lockdown to limit the public’s movements and to contain COVID-19 which has so far infected 2,311 persons and resulted in the death of 96 nationwide.

/MUF