Duque: Only 270 barangay health stations possibly finished

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Tuesday blamed the previous administration for irregularities in the P8.1-billion 2-phase Barangay Health Stations project.

Out of 429 reported completed barangay health stations in the project's phase 1, for instance, only 270 were possibly completed.

"From 429 na napaimbestiga, 270 daw ang posibleng natapos," Duque said in an interview on Dobol B sa News TV.

He also said there were documents lacking and possibly signatures forged.

"Nagtaka kami. May pinababayaran sa amin itong 429 na diumanong natapos na barangay health stations. Tapos ng bumaba ang dokumento sa accounting and finance office ng DOH [Department of Health], nakita nila na maraming kulang na documents. Kaya hindi talaga puwedeng bayaran," Duque said.

"Walang certificate of completion, certificate of site inspection, litrato before, during, and after. Eh 'yung pinadala nilang litrato, lumalabas na cut and paste, parehong litrato ng lugar," he added.

Duque said he asked his staff to call the regional directors to validate if the 429 barangay health stations were indeed completed.

"Wala daw silang in-issue na certificate of completion, at kung meron daw lagda eh mukhang forged daw ito... From 429 na napaimbestiga, 270 daw ang posibleng natapos," the DOH secretary said.

Sought for comment, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said on Tuesday he expects Duque to complete the documentation and forward the same to "relevant prosecuting authorities."

"The President [Rodrigo Duterte] is dead serious about his campaign against corruption. Basta may ebidensiya po, isasampa naman 'yan," Roque told reporters in Cotabato City.

The DOH has requested the Office of the Ombudsman to conduct a fact-finding investigation on the alleged multi-billion irregularities discovered in the 2015 department project. A task force convened in April by the DOH affirmed the Commission on Audit's findings on the P8.1-billion 2-phase Barangay Health Stations project.

The DOH secretary said the first phase of the project called for the construction of 3,200 barangay health stations. The second phase was for 2,500 additional health stations to be constructed.

The project was to address the lack of health facilities in 58 percent of barangays. Duque said only 42 percent of barangays nationwide had a health station.

Duque said that the project, which aims to provide health services in the barangay level, is laudable, but the problem arose in the planning.

"Maganda 'yung konsepto, maganda 'yung pakay kasi gusto nga nating ipaabot sa ating mga kababayan sa mga bara-barangay na puwede silang makakuha ng serbisyong pangkalusugan na kahit hindi malubha ang kanilang karamdaman, puwede silang mabenepisyohan sa mga health promotion program, disease prevention, immunization at iba pang mga pangunahing gamot para sa simpleng sintomas," he said.

"Ang naging problema, 'yung planning. Napakamasama ang pagpaplano. May kasabihan: 'Poor planning, poor execution,'" Duque said.

Problem with sites

Duque also said the previous administration erred in entering into the second phase of the project when the list of sites for the first phase has not even been validated.

"'Yung kontratista nagsasabi na 'yung 3,200 na kanilang tatayuan, meron daw mga 731 na ineligible and unworkable sites. Either may sinkhole o may right of way problem o may paggagamitan ang DepEd [Department of Education]," he said.

"Itong mga pagtatayuan ay galing ito sa mga public elementary school," Duque added.

"Eh alam na pala nila na may kulang na pagtatayuan na lugar. Pumasok sa pangalawang kontrata hindi pa nga nabubuo ang phase 1, pumirma ka na sa phase 2. Hindi ba ito malaking iregularidad?" he said.

Duque said the task force formed by DOH in April recommended that the amount being billed for the 429 barangay health stations supposedly completed not be paid. Only eight of the stations have complete documents, he added.

The DOH secretary also said the setup kits supposed to be delivered to the new barangay health stations could not be delivered since they are not sure the stations have all been constructed. —With a report from Virgil Lopez/KG, GMA News