The Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday, Nov. 30, said it will support the conduct of a special audit of loans for the purchase of Covid-19 vaccines.
The DOH issued the statement after the Commission on Audit (COA) said that the World Bank and Asian Development Bank are asking for a special audit on the loans they granted to the Philippine government for the acquisition of vaccines against Covid-19.
“If you listened to the full statement of COA Chair Gamaliel Cordoba, it was actually the DOH that proactively sought the support of COA to conduct this special audit, as this is part of our commitments specified in our loan agreements with WB (World Bank) and ADB (Asian Development Bank,” the DOH said.
It added that DOH sent a letter to COA in September to request a special audit and that the department chose COA to be its auditing firm in the agreements.
“So rest assured that the DOH is well aware of the commitments that it needs to uphold as it relates to the loans we secured for the Covid-19 vaccine procurements, and that it will continue to be proactive in ensuring that our taxpayers’ money is well-spent,” the DOH said.