Former budget undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao should participate in the Senate's probe and explain the circumstances behind the government’s procurement of overpriced personal protective equipment (PPEs) which the Commission on Audit (COA) has flagged in its latest audit report.
Senator Risa Hontiveros said she agrees that Lao should appear at the Senate blue ribbon committee’s investigation particularly to explain why contracts were awarded to firms that sold overpriced PPEs and other medical supplies. The Senate panel will hold another hearing on the issue next week, Aug. 25.
During Wednesday’s hearing, senators grilled the Department of Health (DOH) why it opted to transfer P42.4-billion budget to the Department of Budget and Management’s procurement service (DBM-PS) even without any proper documentation. DBM officials present at the hearing said Lao has already resigned quietly from the agency in June of this year.
“(Former) USec. Lloyd Christopher Lao should appear. He was heading the DBM-PS when the fund transfers took place. We want somebody to adequately explain how funds transferred to DBM-PS were spent and the best person to do that is the head of that office: Usec. Lao,” Hontiveros said in a statement.
“More than the lack of proper documents, he also needs to explain why contracts were awarded to firms that sold overpriced PPEs,” she stressed.
Hontiveros is one of the lawmakers who filed a resolution seeking a special audit on the alleged overpricing of face masks, face shields and other medical supplies the government needed for the fight against COVID-19.
“I am glad these things are coming out and being brought to the public’s attention by the COA,” she stressed.
Senator Imee Marcos, for her part, backed further probe on Lao saying it is necessary to exact accountability of the parties involved in procuring medical supplies that were deemed overprice.
“I can’t comprehend what happened, followed by the mysterious resignation of DBM-PS head and the disappearance of Chinese importers. Nawala nalang lahat parang bula (They disappeared in thin air)!” Marcos lamented.
“Ngunit tuloy-tuloy pa rin ang pag-import ng substandard China face masks and PPEs ng DOH sa mga sumusunod na buwan. Hindi na dinaan sa DBM-PS. Hindi na naawa sa ating health workers (But the import of substandard China-made face masks and PPEs by the DOH continues. And these do not have to go through the DBM-PS. They are not sympathetic to the plight of our healthcare workers),” she pointed out.
“Kaya ang nagkakasakit na nurses, sa ibang bansa 2 percent lang. Sa atin, 13 percent kasi panay bulok ang face masks at PPEs. Tinulak natin sila sa gyera na walang baril, bala o anumang panlaban (That’s why in other countries, the percentage of nurses that fall ill are only at 2 percent. In our country, 13 percent of our healthcare workers due to substandard face masks and PPEs. We pushed them to fight a war without any guns or anything to defend themselves)!” Marcos emphasized.