COA, pinuna ang DOH sa ₱3B na hindi nagamit na COVID-19 response funds

PINUNA  ng Commission on Audit (COA)  ang Department of Health (DOH) dahil sa hindi nagamit na  ₱3-billion unobligated funds para sa pangagasiwa sana at pagtugon sa COVID-19 pandemic noong 2022.

“Of the ₱3.055-billion unobligated funds, ₱2.414 billion lapsed and was reverted to the Bureau of Treasury,” ayon sa komisyon.

Ang lapsed amount  o napaso na halaga ay para sana sa kompensasyon at benepisyo ng mga healthcare workers,  Health System Enhancement to Address and Limit COVID-19 (HEAL) Program, at Philippines COVID-19 Emergency Response Project (PCERP).

“The lapsed unutilized allotments were counter-beneficial to the continuing efforts towards ensuring access to basic public health services of all Filipinos and more importantly controlling the spread of COVID-19 through provision of quality health services,” ang nakasaad sa annual audit report ng COA ukol sa DoH.

Sinabi ng Komisyon na pumasok ang national  government sa walong loan agreements kasama ang Asian Development Bank at  World Bank noong nakaraang taon.

Sa  $2.225-billion programmed loans,  tanging $1.319 billion o ₱66.051 billion ang napakinabangan.

Maliban pa rito,  nagkaroon pa ng karagdagang obligasyon ang gobyerno na nagkakahalaga ng  $1.534 million, o ₱81.3 million,  ‘commitment charges’ para sa  ‘unwithdrawn HEAL at PCERP loan’ na halaga  “as of Dec. 31.”

“This additional obligation became part of the overall national government debt, which imposes a burden on the public. Furthermore, it deprived the public of the benefits that could have been derived from the projects,” ayon sa COA. (Daris Jose)