President Rodrigo Duterte has defended the Department of Health from the controversy after the Commission on Audit flagged deficiencies in handling the Php67 billion worth of COVID-19 funds.
Duterte even said that the issue of whether the money was stolen, the President added, is “pure bullsh*t.”
“Imposibleng magnakaw ka ng Php67.3 billion. Ang labas niyan sa mga tao akala nawala. Andiyan ‘yung pera. It could also run counter to public policy if you don’t publish it just to inform the people of what is going on,” Duterte added.
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Duterte said that deficiencies mean that the agency hasn’t completed submitting the paperwork to justify their expenses.
But it doesn’t mean the money has been stolen.
“Alam mo,COA, every now and then, maraming regulasyon eh. Naghahabol ang bureaucracy niyan. Many government workers who are placed in a bad light because paglabas nitong COA audit nilagay itong mga deficiences,” the President said.
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COA has flagged the DOH for its mishandling of Php67 billion COVID-19 funds. This includes the unobligated or unused Php24B which could have been used in public health services.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque said that the entire amount of money is all accounted for. (TDT)
