The Office of the Ombudsman will release the results of its parallel investigation into the alleged lapses of the Department of Health in its COVID-19 responses.
“We will release it within a month,” Ombudsman Samuel Martires told CNN Philippines.
The probe covered the DOH’s procurement of 100,000 test kits; the alleged delayed purchase of personal protective equipment and other medical gear for healthcare workers; other lapses and irregularities that may have led to the deaths of medical workers; inaction in the release processing of benefits and financial assistance of fallen and infected medical frontliners, and confusing and delayed reporting of COVID-19-related deaths and confirmed cases.
“We are almost finished in our probe on the aspect of delayed payment of benefits to fallen health workers and delayed procurement of PPE. These PPEs should have been purchased earlier in January when there are already COVID-19 cases happening in China,” he said.
The Ombudsman is also looking into the DOH’s transfer of the P42 billion pandemic response funds to the Department of Budget and Management-Procurement Service.
“Yes, while the Senate and House [of Representatives] are investigating, we are also investigating,” Martires said.
On Monday, President Rodrigo Duterte welcomed the decision of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee to question before the Supreme Court the legality of his order barring Cabinet officials from attending hearings into the alleged misuse of multibillion-peso COVID-19 response funds, saying he is ready to defend his memorandum.
“We welcome this move of bringing the legality of the memorandum to the Supreme Court. We would like to congratulate the Senate for realizing, albeit late, that it is the Court which should eventually decide on the constitutionality of the order and we will defend it,” he said.
Two lawyer’s groups – the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and the Philippine Bar Associate – and four former Health secretaries – Carmencita Reodica, Manuel Dayrit, Enrique Ona Jr. and Esperanza Cabral – have rallied behind medical g oups in calling on Duterte to lift the ban and not to “obstruct” Senate Blue Ribbon Committee investigations into the alleged overpriced purchase of personal protective equipment through Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp.
But Duterte insisted it was not a matter of having the best position,but upholding what is legal under existing laws.
“We are not saying that we are the best minds here. It’s an issue of law. Either way: You win or you lose, but the beauty of this is that the Supreme Court will be the final arbiter now,” he said.
“This is, by far, the most decent thing the committee has done and we are eager to answer whatever questions you have,” the President added.
Blue Ribbon chairman Senator Richard Gordon, for his part, said the data privacy law cannot be used to defy subpoenas as he accused Pharmally executives and other resource persons of refusing to disclose information and documents.
Pharmally corporate secretary Mohit Dargani, his sister, company president Twinkle Dargani have been cited in contempt and were ordered arrested for refusing to submit documents vital to the Senate investigation. The two have reportedly gone into hiding.
Pharmally director Linconn Ong has also repeatedly declined to divulge information on how the company was able to procure big contracts for the procurement of COVID-19 supplies, claiming this was a “trade secret.”