Grilled at Senate hot seat, Duque blurts out: 'Gulo ng utak ko'
Amid a barrage of senators’ queries on alleged DOH incompetence in managing its billions of pesos of COVID 19 related response funds, Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III told the Senate Blue Ribbon committee that he was already confused.
‘’Gulo ng utak ko. Di ko na alam,’’ Duque said as his voice faded out during the questioning by Senator Richard J. Gordon, committee chairman, on Commission on Audit (COA) findings that the DOH was incompetent in the handling of P67 billion representing its COVID-19 response funds.
COA, however, stressed that it found out that corruption was not an issue in its audit report.
‘’Maraming psychiatrist dyan sa DOH. Pagamot ka muna ng psychiatrists,’’ Gordon told Duque.
‘’I know it is stressful to work in government. Please make sure to get it done,’’ he added.
Gordon then stressed Duque is his friend but his loyalty is with the government and ‘’my country.’’
`He said his committee wanted to determine whether the billions of pesos entrusted with government agencies, such as DOH, are efficiently used.
Performance is checked with the outcome, he emphasized.
‘’We are willing to help but God help those who help themselves,’’ he added.
Gordon said that he is disappointed that with very little money that we have, it is not being spent properly in the manner that we would be able to respond effectively to the pandemic.
He said healthcare workers should get all the benefits they are entitled to such as special risk allowance, meals, accommodation and allowance.
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