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Palace on proposed special audit of COVID-19 funds: We have nothing to hide
By VIRGIL LOPEZ,GMA NewsMalacañang on Thursday welcomed the call of some senators for a special audit of the government’s expenses to curb the spread and impact of COVID-19 in the country.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the administration has nothing to hide given that it had submitted weekly reports to Congress on the implementation of the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act.
The law, which expired on June 25, gave President Rodrigo Duterte special powers for three months to effectively tackle the COVID-19 crisis.
“Walang pong tinatago ang Presidente at ang Malacañang. Lahat ng gastos, lahat po ng pera na ginastos para sa COVID-19 napunta po ‘yan para sa COVID-19 response ng gobyerno,” Roque said in a televised briefing.
“We welcome the special audit noting na io-audit naman talaga yan ng COA dahil ang COA po ay post-audit po ang ginagawa.”
Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., chief implementer of the government’s COVID-19 response, also assured the public that the transactions are aboveboard.
“Maitataya po namin ang aming integridad sa pagbili ng mga pangangailangan ng ating mamamayan dito sa paglaban sa COVID,” he said.
Roque vowed to present on August 3 a report on the government’s expenses for COVID-19 response.
On Tuesday, seven senators backed a resolution urging the Commission on Audit to look into the government spending for COVID-19 under the Bayanihan Law
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The resolution states that various overpricing issues hounded the procurements made in relation to the pandemic, including the nucleic acid extractors bought for P4 million each when the private sector was able to get it at P1.75 million.
It also mentioned the supposedly overpriced personal protective equipment (PPE) sets, pointing out that many health workers are still falling ill because of lack of protective gear.
The senators also took issue with the use of imported test kits from China and South Korea when cheaper ones have already been developed by the University of the Philippines.
As of June 30, the government released P374.9 billion to cover emergency assistance to vulnerable groups and individuals, wage subsidy measures, and assistance to displaced workers, the Palace said in a report released on Monday.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development received the largest share in the amount of P200.98 billion for its Social Amelioration Program to support millions of low-income households.
The Department of Labor and Employment and the Department of Agriculture received P12.59 billion and P11.10 billion, respectively, to support their programs for displaced formal and informal workers, overseas Filipino workers and affected farmers and fisherfolks.
Around P51 billion was also provided to workers of small businesses adversely affected by the pandemic.
The Department of Health received P48.23 billion to fund the agency’s immediate and continued COVID-19 response programs as well as for the procurement of test kits and PPEs. — RSJ, GMA News