“Stop that flagging, g**d*** it. You make a report. Do not flag and do not publish it because it will condemn the agency or the person that you are flagging.”
This was President Rodrigo Duterte’s remark after the Commission on Audit (COA) released its 2020 annual audit report. The President’s ire comes from the COA’s findings that flag several key agencies responsible for pandemic response.
In March 2020, RA 11469 or Bayanihan to Heal as One Act was enacted. The said law gives emergency power and allows the President to “reallocate, realign, and reprogram” a budget of almost P 275 billion ($5.37 billion) from the estimated P 438 billion ($8.55 billion) national budget approved for 2020, to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under the Bayanihan Act, government agencies were also allocated additional funds for programs and cash assistance to help the pandemic-battered public.
The Commission on Audit (COA), the government’s spending watchdog, releases an Annual Audit Report (AAR) of government agencies. The report contains“opinions and observations” that show compliance and/or non-compliance of laws and regulations governing the use of public funds, mostly taxpayers’ money.
In the most recent AARs released in the past months, reports and findings of underutilization, delays, and questionable documentation were found in key agencies such as DOH. This, despite the implementation of the Bayanihan Law.
While not concluding whether corruption is involved, COA’s 2020 AAR deficiency flagging of key agencies in charge of pandemic response reveal a lot on how the Duterte administration handled the COVID-19 pandemic; whether the emergency powers given were properly used.
Auditing the very year when the COVID-19 surge first impacted the country is critical, especially in a time when most of the common folks are on survival mode-more than transparency, COA’s AARs mirror the government agencies commitment to their constitutionally-given mandate. This begs the question, how did our taxes go? Did it serve the public’s best interests?
Department of Health (DOH)
“We are of the view that the presence of the COVID-19 pandemic must inspire the DOH to do more. Health services play a vital role in saving the lives of Filipinos,” COA said in its report.
According to 2020 COA reports, DOH has P 59.125 billion unspent funds of its 2020 budget. The said amount was 29% of the DOH’s P 200.855 billion budget for 2020, set for combatting the pandemic.
In the same finding, COA stated that the unspent amount could have“made a difference” and would have been“more than enough to affect the level of efficiency” in the government’s fight in stopping the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a separate finding, COA also red-flagged the P 67.32 billion worth of various deficiencies in the department’s health funds that led to “missed opportunities”, according to state auditors.
Included in these deficiencies is the P 11.8 billion worth of pandemic funds, which is supposedly for the health workers’ benefits such as Hazard Duty Pay, Safety Risk Allowance, Meal Allowance and the much-needed medical supplies under the Bayanihan Act 1 and 2.
The commission also found P 42.41 billion worth of fund transfers to implementing partner agencies without a memorandum of agreement and other supporting documents, which led to delays in the delivery of essential medical equipment.
Reports of overpricing were also found in the reports. According to the audit, the Department of Budget and Management Procurement Service (DBM-PS), bought face masks for as high as P27.72 per piece, and face shields for P120 per piece in March 2020. Through the Bayanihan Law, DBM-PS based its negotiated procurements with suppliers based on market surveys.
“These deficiencies contributed to the challenges encountered and missed opportunities by the DoH during the time of a state of calamity (or) national emergency, and cast doubt on the regularity of related transactions,” said state auditors.
In reply to COA’s findings, DOH released a statement saying that these deficienciesare now being resolved or at least, in the process of resolution.
“The COA 2020 Consolidated Annual Audit Report covers audit findings until December 31, 2020, as such, most of these findings have already been addressed or are currently being addressed,” DOH said in a statement.
DOH also cleared that the findings regarding the delay and unpaid financial assistance of healthcare workers (HCWs) were also duly paid.
“With regard to the Php 4.8 million unpaid financial assistance to healthcare workers, this was already duly paid by concerned Regional offices.”
“The Department, together with its operating units, is actively addressing the remaining COA findings in order to ensure that taxes of the Filipino people and funds provided to the Department of Health are utilized efficiently,” DOH stated, concluding their statement.
HCWs on DOH’s resolved deficiencies: “Easy to say”
Karen Mae Faurillo, President of All-UP Workers Union Manila, belied DOH’s statement that HCWs’ financial assistance and benefits were duly paid. Adding that it was easy for the department to declare it was resolved, while in actuality, it says otherwise.
“Madalas sinasabi o naririnig natin sa balita na madaling sabihin na naibigay na sa panig ng DOH o gobyerno, pero yung aktuwal po pahirapan at pilit na pinapaliit o pinapakipot kung sino yung makakatanggap at talagang pinapaasa lang yung mga PGH [Philippine General Hospital] health workers.” Faurillo said in an interview with Manila Today.
[They say or we usually hear in the news that they have given the benefits on the side of the DOH or the government, but it was difficult and they are forcing to make these smaller or make those who can receive this fewer and they are making PGH workers.]
Faurillo also lamented the six-month delay in granting the financial assistance and benefits such as Special Risk Allowance (SRA), Active Hazard Duty Pay, Meals, Accommodation, and Transportation Allowance (MAT) for HCWs under the Bayanihan Act 1.
“Kung matatatandaan niyo po, as early as November 2020 ay kumilos na, nag-rally na talaga yung mga PGH health workers kasi anim na buwan na delay yung aming benepisyo sa ilalim ng Bayanihan Act 1 pa nga itong pinag-uusapan namin,” Faurillo said.
[If you can remember, as early as November 2020, PGH health workers already protested, because our benefits were delayed for six months and those were even under Bayanihan Act 1.]
Even with the extension of the government’s emergency powersfrom September 15 to December 19, 2020, under Bayanihan Act 2, benefits remain inconsistent, delayed, and worse, unreceived.
“So kung di pa kumilos yung PGH health workers at di pa nag-ingay, di pa talaga namin ‘yon matatamasa,” she added.
[If PGH health workers did not act at raising their voices, we won’t receive those benefits.]
She added that amidst the COVID-19 surge in the months of July to September 2020, as HCWs get infected with the virus themselves, benefits remain nowhere to be found.
The promised benefits for Bayanihan Act 2 which were supposedly received by December, were received in partial by January 2021, and only fully by August this year.
“Bandang December 2020 na sinasabi nila ay ibibigay na rin daw yung mga benepisyo sa ilalim ng Bayanihan Act 2, hanggang January na po namin ito napakinabangan at natanggap talaga ng aktwal. Pero hindi rin po agad natatanggap ng mga health worker sa PGH yung mga benepisyo ng buo. Halimbawa, una pong nakakatanggap yung mga COVID staff, ganun din nahuhuli talaga. Yung SRA po natanggap lang siya ng kabuuan ng PGH health workers bandang Agosto na,” Faurillo said.
[Around December 2020, they are saying that they will give the benefits under Bayanihan 2, until January we have not been able to use and receive them. But PGH health workers were also not able to receive them in full. For example, COVID staff were the first to receive, but it also came late. PGH health workers received their full SRA only by August.]
When asked regarding their assessment of DOH in relation to 2020 COA reports, Faurillo expressed their union’s disappointment to the department’s performance, adding that HCWs felt they were alone in the fight against the pandemic.
“Ang pagtingin namin dito kami ay napabayaan at palpak ang pamamahala overall ng DOH dahil andaming mga benepisyo na hindi nila naibigay, hindi nila naalagaan ang ating mga health workers na nasa front line nitong pandemic na ito”
[We felt like we were abandoned and the failed management overall of DOH because a lot of benefits were not released, they don’t take care of our health workers who are in the front line in this pandemic.]
Faurillo, along with their union in PGH demands DOH to do better and asks for accountability in the department’s failed pandemic response.
