DOH open to any investigation on P67-B COVID-19 funds –Vergeire

Amid allegations of corruption against the Department of Health over the use of the P67-billion in funding earmarked for the government’s COVID-19 response, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Saturday that the DOH will welcome any investigation on the matter.

“We are open to all types of investigation. Hindi po kami aatras d’yan (We will not avoid any of these investigations),” Vergeire said during the Laging Handa briefing.

The DOH official reiterated that they are ready to submit all the documents relevant to the audit observations made by the Commission on Audit (COA).

“Itong P67 billion na sinasabi well-accounted for lahat po iyan. Actually ang aming pera na nabigay nung nag-umpisa po ang pandemya, we were able to utilize almost 98% of that,” added Vergeire.

(These P67 billion in funds are well accounted for. We were able to utilize almost 98% of all the funds given to us since the start of the pandemic.)

Vergeire likewise noted that the DOH was able to release additional funds for the allowance and benefits of healthcare workers because of the extension of the Bayanihan 2 Law.

She then appealed to the public not to assume that there was corruption at the Health Department without sufficient evidence that will support these claims.

“Ang gusto ko lang pong sabihin sa ating mga kababayan na sana po ang panghuhusga gawin natin ‘pag kumpleto na po ang lahat ng ating nakikitang mga ebidensya. Ang ating Kagawaran ng Kalusugan ay patuloy na nagbibigay ng utmost na trabaho para sa ating mga kababayan at pagdating po sa kaperahan di kami gumagawa ng korapsyon,” Vergeire said.

(We would like to appeal to our countrymen to reserve their judgments until they find sufficient evidence. The Department of Health continuously provides utmost service for our countrymen in terms of public funds. There is no corruption here.)

In a separate statement, the DOH said they were given until September 27 to provide the documents being sought by the state auditors.

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee is set to hold a motu propio investigation on Wednesday, August 18 into the alleged deficiencies found by the COA in the DOH’s utilization of its P67.32-billion fund to fight COVID-19.

Earlier, Senator Grace Poe and Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon filed separate resolutions seeking an investigation into the alleged deficiencies in the use of the funds.

Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo also filed a resolution in the Lower House to launch an investigation on the alleged failure of the DOH to release the P13.5 billion funds for the benefits and allowances due to frontline healthcare workers under the Bayanihan 2 Law. — DVM, GMA News