Former Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and former PS-DBM officer Lloyd Christopher Lao. ABS-CBN News/file 

Former Philippine Department of Health Secretary (DOH) Francisco Duque III again went on the defensive on Saturday after the Ombudsman ordered graft charges against him and former Undersecretary Christopher Lao of the Procurement Service unit of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM).

The indictment is in connection with the allegedly irregular transfer of over P41 billion from the DOH to the PS-DBM for the procurement of COVID-19 supplies such as face masks during the height of the pandemic.

The Ombudsman said it is apparent that Duque and Lao had conspired since the fund transfer was done without the necessary documents, and the PS-DBM was not authorized to procure personal protective equipment or PPEs.

Ombudsman: Duque, Lao liable for Pharmally mess

It also said that the procurement process could have gone faster and would have been less costly for the DOH if it had made the purchases.

But in an interview with ABS-CBN News, Duque said the DOH already had too much on its plate.

“Dahil sa aking trabaho bilang chairman ng IATF, busy ako sa coordination with 34 national government agencies. Busy ako sa paggawa ng capacity building. Halimbawa, yung RT-PCR laboratories, iisa lang dati, ginawa nating 340. Tapos yung ating pag-establish o pagtatayo ng mga temporary treatment monitoring facilities,” he said.

“Ang PS-DBM, national agency iyan, and using the principle of whole-of-government approach, eh sila ang sinabi ko na kayo na ang maghanap ng suppliers ng PPEs,” added Duque.

Duque also insisted that the pandemic supplies bought from the controversial Pharmally Pharmaceutical were eventually delivered to hospitals across the country despite the issue of overpricing. Although he admitted that some did not meet the standards of the DOH.

Ombudsman OKs graft charges over Pharmally mess 

“Kasi halimbawa, mali yung specification, hindi tinatanggap ng DOH. Halimbawa mag-eexpire na, hindi na tatanggapin ng DOH,” he said.

SENATORS REACT

Senator Risa Hontiveros welcomed the Ombudsman’s decision, saying it should be considered a warning to other government officials engaged in corruption.

But former Senator Richard Gordon, who led the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s investigation into the issue, is still not satisfied.

While the anti-graft court has already recommended charges against several Pharmally officials, Gordon said none of them have been sued or caught.

He also wants the Ombudsman to dig deeper, and go after former President Rodrigo Duterte himself, saying the Pharmally mess never would have played out as it did without his involvement.

Ombudsman OKs graft charges over Pharmally mess 

“Unang-una, mga Chinese iyan, bawal yan. May mga anti-dummy law tayo. Bakit niyo binigay diyan? Bakit niyo binibigay sa walang kakayahan na korporasyon na walang record of business? Napakapangit e sapagkat mga banyaga ang nakinabang. Napakapangit dahil mga kaibigan ng pangulo, siya ang naglagay, mga taga-Davao na mga tao niya,” said Gordon.

“This is the first time, kumpletong-kumpleto ang ebidensya na makakapagpakulong ka ng pangulo. At pag nangyari yan, baka magbago ang pangungurakot dito sa Pilipinas. Kung ito, huhukayin nang huhukayin, baka magkaroon ng pagbabago sa kamalayan ng Pilipino na nobody is above the law,” he added.

The Ombudsman previously said that it has not found enough evidence to indict Duterte.