Duterte urged not to obstruct witnesses' testimony in Senate procurement probe

Over 40 health organizations and at least four former Department of Health secretaries on Monday called on President Rodrigo Duterte to allow the Senate to proceed with its investigation into the alleged corruption related to the procurement of pandemic supplies last year.

In a joint statement, the signatories, led by the Philippine College of Physicians, said it is "sickening" that there are people who may have "exploited" the COVID-19 situation.

“We call for transparency, exigency and accountability. In particular, we call on the president not to obstruct the testimony of material witnesses to any investigation,” the health workers said.

The four former DOH secretaries who signed the statement were  Esperanza Cabral, Carmencita Reodica, Manuel Dayrit, and Enrique Ona.

The groups issued the statement after Duterte issued the memo directing officials under the Executive department to skip the hearings being conducted by the blue ribbon committee.

The groups likewise called on all government officials “to support the call for truth, ensure that the wheels of justice grind swiftly and surely, and provide testimony when sought.”

They also called on the Senate to complete its inquiry "swiftly and with utmost diligence, to get to the truth behind the alleged corruption, then file a case before the Department of Justice or Ombudsman at the soonest possible time.”

The Department of Justice (DOH), meanwhile, was urged to conduct its own “impartial and thorough investigation” on the alleged anomaly, and the Office of the Ombudsman to file cases against the personalities involved.

The Senate investigation has dragged the name of Chinese trader Michael Yang, Duterte's former economic adviser. A company he supposedly helped, Pharmally Pharmaceuticals Corporation, bagged billions of pesos worth of government contracts despite a paid-up capital of just over P600,000.

Sought for comment, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte is not likely to change his mind on preventing executive officials from attending the Senate hearings.

“Hindi na po siguro kasi na-issue na ang memo [I don’t see any changes ahead since the memo has already been issued],” he said during his regular briefing on Monday. 

'Isiwalat lahat, walang itago'

In a online conference on Monday, former PCP president Dr. Lingling Uy said the order to find the truth should come from the Office of the President.

“Kung siya ay kasapi natin sa pagbabantay ng pera ng bayan at isinusulong niya ang kapakanan ng bayan, dapat manggagaling sa kanya ang utos na lahat ng kawani ng gobyerno under sa office niya ay dapat mag-cooperate, isiwalat lahat, at walang itago,” he said.

(If he's with us in protecting the state's money and pushing for the country's welfare, he should order the officials under him to cooperate with the investigation and reveal what they know.)

Meanwhile, current PCP president Dr. Maricar Limpin said she called for transparency as she could not understand why the Department of Health (DOH) passed the procurement of medical supplies to another agency.

The DOH had transferred P42.4 billion to the Department of Budget and Management-Procurement Service (DBM-PS) for the procurement of medical supplies including face masks and shields. This was questioned by the Commission on Audit (COA) in a report.

“Ang mga protective equipment, definitely, this should actually belong to the Department of Health. Ang dapat nag purchase nito and Department of Health,” she added.

Limpin also clarified that they were not concluding that there was corruption, only that the issue should be looked into to determine the truth.

In response to the statement, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the DOH has submitted the documents related to the issues to the concerned agencies.

“Nakapag-sumite na tayo dito sa issues na ito sa mga kinauukulang ahensya [The documents have been submitted to the concerned agencies]. Investigations are undertaken at iwanan po natin doon at magbigay po sila ng resulta dito sa imbestigasyon na ginagawa [and let's leave it with the investigating bodies],” she said in a media briefing.

Vergeire said the DOH respects the opinion and the recommendations of the health groups. —KBK, GMA News