President Duterte admitted that he’s ordering Duque to skip bidding on the purchase of face masks in 2020.
President Rodrigo Duterte admitted that he ordered Health Secretary Francisco Duque III to skip the bidding process in the purchase of face masks during the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
In a taped briefing aired Saturday morning, President Duterte said that he remembered that they had a Cabinet meeting after he constituted the Inter-Agency Task Force and also remembered that he ordered Duque to buy the necessary equipment that was needed.
“I remember nag-Cabinet meeting tayo right after I constituted the Task Force. I remember distinctly, sinabi ko kay Sec. Duque na bumili ng kailangang face mask or whatever equipment needed. Sabi ko, ‘Huwag ka nang mag-bidding. Matagal iyan,’” said President Duterte.
President Duterte also said that he directed Duque to skip the bidding process as he recognized that the Philippines was in an emergency situation. However, the President claimed that Duque chose to proceed with the bidding process as he’s “just being careful”.
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In COA’s 2020 annual audit report, the Commission on Audit flagged the Department of Budget and Management-Procurement Service’s (DBM-PS) acquisition of 1.32 million face shields and 113.95 million pieces of surgical masks in April and May 2020, a period when prices were “so high” due to high demand.
The face masks were procured from different suppliers for PHP 13.50 to PHP 27.72 each, while the face shields were bought for PHP 120 each.
DBM officer-in-charge Tina Rose Canda, meanwhile, justified the transfer of funds from the Department of Health to DBM-PS for the purchase of the face shields and face masks.
“Doon sa transfer ng pondo, at that point, pandemic iyon. I think the DOH had no recourse but to transfer the fund to PS-DBM at that time. Under the laws naman, talagang kapag common-use equipment, talagang sa PS-DBM iyong i-po-procure,” she said.
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