DoH vows transparency in Covid vaccine agreements
The Department of Health on Wednesday vowed to provide the necessary documents to the Commission on Audit related to its multibillion-peso Covid-19 vaccine procurement deals.
The DoH said it tapped CoA to conduct the special audit as part of its commitment specified in the loan agreements with the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.
It said it sent a letter to the CoA as early as September requesting a special audit, adding that it chose the state auditor to be its auditing firm in the agreements.
“So rest assured that the DoH is well aware of the commitments that it needs to uphold as it relates to the loans we secured for the Covid-19 vaccine procurements, and that it will continue to be proactive in ensuring that our taxpayers’ money is well-spent,” the statement read.
The DoH’s remarks came after newly-confirmed CoA Chair Gamaliel Cordoba issued a warning against the health department that it would exhaust legal processes to require the agency to submit all documents related to the government’s procurements of Covid-19 vaccines.
During the deliberation for his confirmation, Cordoba said he would issue a demand letter through the DoH resident auditor to furnish CoA with the necessary documents.
“If they refuse to furnish CoA with documents, we will proceed with the legal process, which may include the issuance of a subpoena,” he said.
State auditors, he said, earlier sent a letter to DoH requesting necessary documents, however, then Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the national government signed a non-disclosure provision with pharmaceutical companies on its contracts.