December 11, 2024

CIBAC Party-List Rep. Bro. Eddie Villanueva filed House Resolution 2127 directing the appropriate House committee to investigate, in aid of legislation, the Commission on Audit’s (COA) reports flagging the Department of Health (DOH) for billions of pesos worth of expired, nearly expired, damaged, overstocked, excessive, slow-moving, and undistributed drugs, medicines, and medical supplies from 2021 to 2023.

“Lubos na nakakabahala ang ulat na ito. Bilyun-bilyong pondo ang nasasayang dahil sa kakulangan sa maayos na sistema at pamamahala. Sa lagay natin na kulang ang pondo para lubusang tustusan ang basic public healthcare, ang ganitong uri ng pag-aaksaya ay hindi katanggap-tanggap – it’s a moral failure,” said Villanueva.

The COA reports reveal that billions worth of medical supplies were found wasted or mismanaged: P85M for 2021, P7.4B in 2022 and P11.18B in 2023. According to the audit reports, the DOH has repeatedly failed to address systemic issues in procurement, inventory, and distribution.

“Gusto natin alamin bakit ganun karaming gamot ang naa-aksaya o natutulog sa mga DOH warehouses, lalo na’t may mas malaking badyet sa pagbili ng gamot ang ilalaan sa taong 2025. Dapat natin itong busisiin,” the CIBAC solon said.

Villanueva noted that despite these troubling findings, the proposed 2025 budget for the Purchase of Drugs, Medicines and Medical Supplies is increased significantly to ₱44.5 billion.

“We cannot simply allocate more funds without ensuring that these will be fully and meaningfully utilized. This investigation is crucial to safeguard public funds and ensure that Filipinos are really benefitting from the medicines the government are procuring,” Villanueva emphasized.

The CIBAC solon urges his colleagues to immediately launch the probe in order to uncover any systemic gaps and lapses that have led to these recurring issues and to recommend legislative measures that will avert further misuse of public funds.