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Former Health Secretary Duque Reveals Duterte's Role In Pandemic Fund Transfer
PCO File
Former Health Secretary Francisco Duque III admitted that former President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the transfer of funds to PS-DBM for purchasing various COVID-19 supplies during the pandemic.
During the continuation of the House Committee Appropriations hearing on the Department of Health's budget utilization over the past years amid the COVID-19 pandemic, former and current DOH secretaries faced each other.
Right from the outset, former Health Secretary Francisco Duque III defended himself against graft charges regarding the alleged irregular fund transfer from DOH to PS-DBM for buying COVID-19 supplies.
Duque emphasized, "Given the severity of the public health emergency, we at the IATF and NTF did our best to rely on the expertise of the PS-DBM and its network of suppliers for sourcing much-needed PPEs along with other essential goods and services for emergency response. We would not have stood a fighting chance without the first tranches of PPEs, which were a lifeline for our health workers."
Congress members stressed the importance of clarifying these details, especially when it concerns public funds. Some lawmakers scrutinized who instructed Duque to initiate the fund transfer.
"When Secretary Duque said, 'Madam Chair, on the orders of former President Duterte, this transfer was made of 47.6 billion, is that correct? Please say yes or no," a lawmaker inquired.
"Publicly, this was made by the president in our meetings in a weekly meet or talk," responded former Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.
While Duque acknowledged the directive from former President Rodrigo Duterte, he also asserted that decision-making and giving directives fell within his jurisdiction. Hence, he claimed no wrongdoing on his part.
Duque also addressed the Ombudsman's directive, stating, "Regarding the Ombudsman case, I have been tasked to submit a motion for reconsideration, and I'm just waiting for the action of the Ombudsman on my MR. So everything, my legal team has already submitted all the documents to support and counter the baseless allegations that were filed against my person."
During the continuation of the House Committee Appropriations hearing on the Department of Health's budget utilization over the past years amid the COVID-19 pandemic, former and current DOH secretaries faced each other.
Right from the outset, former Health Secretary Francisco Duque III defended himself against graft charges regarding the alleged irregular fund transfer from DOH to PS-DBM for buying COVID-19 supplies.
Duque emphasized, "Given the severity of the public health emergency, we at the IATF and NTF did our best to rely on the expertise of the PS-DBM and its network of suppliers for sourcing much-needed PPEs along with other essential goods and services for emergency response. We would not have stood a fighting chance without the first tranches of PPEs, which were a lifeline for our health workers."
Congress members stressed the importance of clarifying these details, especially when it concerns public funds. Some lawmakers scrutinized who instructed Duque to initiate the fund transfer.
"When Secretary Duque said, 'Madam Chair, on the orders of former President Duterte, this transfer was made of 47.6 billion, is that correct? Please say yes or no," a lawmaker inquired.
"Publicly, this was made by the president in our meetings in a weekly meet or talk," responded former Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.
While Duque acknowledged the directive from former President Rodrigo Duterte, he also asserted that decision-making and giving directives fell within his jurisdiction. Hence, he claimed no wrongdoing on his part.
Duque also addressed the Ombudsman's directive, stating, "Regarding the Ombudsman case, I have been tasked to submit a motion for reconsideration, and I'm just waiting for the action of the Ombudsman on my MR. So everything, my legal team has already submitted all the documents to support and counter the baseless allegations that were filed against my person."
Jun 4, 2024
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