Senate Minority Leader Alan Cayetano and Senator Joel Villanueva criticized the Department of Health (DOH) over what they described as deep failures in medicine management and basic health services.
During the agency’s 2026 budget deliberations in the Senate, Villanueva drew attention to audit findings showing a dramatic escalation in wasted medicines and health commodities over a four-year span.
The figures showed losses of P95 million in 2020 and P85.2 million in 2021.
Wastage then shot up to P7.4 billion in 2022 and climbed further to P11.186 billion in 2023.
“With regard to the historical data and figures… what measures now are being taken by the Department to prevent the wastage and expiration?” he posed.
The senator stressed that the billions lost represent public money and medicines that should have reached families across the country.
Senator Pia Cayetano, sponsor of the DOH budget, said the biggest spike stemmed from unused COVID-era commodities.
She said pandemic procurement led to heavy stockpiling that outpaced the health system’s distribution capacity.
“The focus would be on asset management and supply chain management; this would allow DOH to be able to more efficiently manage the stock of the commodities,” the senator assured.
Senator Alan Cayetano, speaking separately, also criticized the department for continued failures in basic health management.
Cayetano said gaps in vaccine delivery, nutrition programs, and leadership have weakened the country’s public health foundation.
He warned that persistent mismanagement calls for stronger accountability and swift corrective action.
“The most basic vaccines and nutrition in the budget, as well as the most basic management, leadership, and efficiency, were completely missing,” the lawmaker lamented.
All these concerns converged as lawmakers examined the health department’s performance during Wednesday’s discussions.
