Malacañang said it was letting Congress conduct a probe on the "deficiencies" the Commission on Audit (COA) had discovered in the management of some P67.32 billion in coronavirus (COVID-19) funds entrusted to the Department of Health (DOH) in 2020.
Roque made the statement after House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco requested the COA briefing to shed light on the controversy that questioned how the DOH was handling COVID-19 funds.
In his press briefing on Monday, August 16, Roque said there was nothing Malacañang could do because conducting investigations is part of Congress's functions.
"Wala po tayong magagawa sa desisyon ng Kongreso dahil sila po ay independyenteng sangay ng goberyo (There's nothing we can do about Congress's decision because it is an independent branch of government)," he said.
"Talaga pong katungkulan at responsibilidad ng Kongreso na magkaroon ng ganyang imbestigasyon (It is really their duty and responsibility to conduct that kind of an investigation)," he added.
According to Roque, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III may give an answer during President Duterte's weekly public address on August 16 with members of the government's pandemic task force.
"Asahan po natin na baka po ibigay ng paunang kasagutan ng DOH mamayang gabi sa harap ni Presidente at sa harap ng taumbayan (Expect that the DOH will give an initial answer tonight before the President and the public)," he said.
Last week, Roque reiterated there will be "no sacred cow" if a government agency or official would be found liable for any misuse of public funds.
He added that President Duterte had instructed the DOH to submit a "comprehensive and clear" response to the COA findings.
The COA earlier flagged the DOH for alleged deficiencies in the management of P67.3 billion funds related to its coronavirus response efforts last year. It noted that these were supposedly due to non-compliance with laws and regulations that led to missed opportunities to address the pandemic.