Senate President Vicente Sotto III could not help but also suspect irregularities in the Department of Health's (DOH) insistence that face shields should still be used with face masks.
Sotto reacted to his colleagues' observations on the supposed overpricing of face shields and face masks that the DOH had purchased.
"Kaya pala ayaw alisin ang paggamit ng face shields," the Senate chief said on Twitter Wednesday, August 18.
Kaya pala ayaw alisin ang paggamit ng face shields ?&@!:&?@ https://t.co/EAZbJ00ifL
— Tito Sotto (@sotto_tito) August 18, 2021
During the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee's hearing on the reported deficiencies of the DOH in spending COVID-19 funds, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Senator Imee Marcos noted the exorbitant face shields and face masks that the agency purchased thru the Department of Budget and Management's Procurement Service (DBM-PS).
State auditors found that the face shields were priced at P120 per price, while the face masks cost as high as P27.72 each.
DOH procurement officer Paul Guimbarda explained to senators that at the time of their procurement, a suggested retail price (SRP) has not yet been issued for the protective gears.
Officials also cited the shortage of supplies when they purchased the items.
"Sabihin na natin na very tight ang supply at that point, pero saksakan naman ata ng overpriced (Let's say that we have a very tight supply at that point, but aren't those too overpriced)?" Marcos stressed.
"If you look at the facts, it so obvious that there was an overprice," Drilon said, citing a DOH memorandum issued in September last year, which set the SRP of the face masks at P2 to P4 per piece, and P26 to P50 for face shields.
DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III has insisted on the mandatory use of face shields, in addition to face masks, as an "added protection" against the COVID-19.
Sotto, however, questioned Duque's basis for claiming, citing the lack of scientific studies proving its effectiveness in preventing coronavirus infection. Other senators likewise did not discount the possibility that unscrupulous officials and individuals were benefitting from the face shield policy.
Last June, the Senate leader filed a resolution to prompt the chamber's Committee of the Whole, which he heads, to look into how effective face shields are in addressing the coronavirus situation in the Philippines.