Senators suspect an P841-million overprice in the admin’s ambulance procurements. As well, corruption in the P2.73-billion overpurchase of medicines, now expired or still undistributed.
But as in Pharmally’s P12-billion pricey medical supplies, they – and the public – may never get explanations. President Duterte has barred his appointees from attending Senate Blue Ribbon committee hearings. Lawyers’ groups denounce Duterte’s move as unconstitutional. Still, bureaucrats have found a convenient excuse for silence on Plunder During Pandemic.
“Nothing to hide, nothing to fear,” Senator Panfilo Lacson said. On the seventh hearing three weeks ago he requested written clarifications from the Department of Health. “Right away, sir,” Sec. Francisco Duque assured. With the latter were a dozen undersecretaries and assistant secretaries not invited to the inquiry.
On the ninth hearing, still awaiting submissions, Lacson reminded Duque of his promise. “Yes, sir, I will make sure this is given attention,” Duque repeated. The uninvited usecs and asecs witnessed it.
On the tenth hearing last week, Lacson received a letter from DOH seeking deadline extension.
On the eleventh hearing last Tuesday, on Duterte’s order, Duque and subalterns didn’t show up.
DOH spent P2.5 million for each ambulance, state auditors reported. The units were dispatched to provinces and cities.
One recipient of three ambulances needed two more. Copying DOH’s specs and checklist of accessories – even the color – the local government unit held a public bidding. The winner, same brand as the DOH’s procurement, offered only P1.5 million.
There seemed overprice of a cool million per unit. The matter promptly was reported to graft-buster Lacson.
Lacson checked with two other LGUs that had bought similar additional ambulances. Also with the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office that gives away units to far-flung municipalities. Same price findings: PCSO’s procurement was only slightly higher than P1.5 million each.
At first Lacson thought the overprice totaled P94 million for 94 ambulances. Presenting a price matrix in the seventh hearing, he elicited info from DOH officials that 841 units were bought in all. Overprice was thus P841 million, Lacson recounted in Sapol-dwIZ last Saturday.
Loss to government could be more, since it was a fleet purchase. In such huge deals, suppliers can be arm-twisted to toss in free units – un-receipted and untraceable. Lacson learned about and forbade it when purchasing patrol cars two decades ago as National Police chief.
Wasteful overstocking of medicines has been going on since the past administration, Lacson said. The P2.73 billion in 2020 was the latest.
Lacson dug up annual DOH purchases in 2013-2017 under two predecessors of Duque. Crates of the same medicine brands from the same suppliers were left in DOH central storages. Some have expired, others are about to expire. DOH field offices reject the medicines because unneeded.
Lacson surmised that a Mafia controls DOH procurements, regardless of who the secretary is. In one of the first hearings, he advised Duque to investigate internally. “Yes, sir, I will do that,” the latter replied.
The admin used borrowed funds in the ambulance, medicine and Pharmally pandemic supply purchases, Lacson lamented. “Our children and their children will be repaying the billions of plundered pesos.”
The twelfth hearing is on Tuesday, Oct. 12. It’s unclear if DOH finally will explain how biddings for ambulances and medicines were held. Past Senate inquiries have uncovered that even public biddings can be rigged. Bidders can collude, or specs tailored for chosen suppliers, or lowest bidders disqualified for flimsy reasons.
Technicalities hamper the Blue Ribbon hearings during pandemic. Face-masked witnesses attend only by teleconference. Senators cannot detect telltale signs of lying or being coached or reading from a script. Unconfined in holding rooms, witnesses can hear, corroborate and complement each other’s falsities. When confronted with tough questions, they even pretend to lose WiFi connection, Lacson said.
Duterte’s ban on appointees’ attendance complicates matters. Even non-government personnel have begun to defy subpoenas.
Senator Francis Pangilinan said they would ask the crucial questions when those officials show up in the 2022 national budget hearings of other Senate committees. Truth does not mind being questioned; a lie does not like being challenged.
Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying
Sinovac safety efficacy and price still need clarifying
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