MANILA — The Department of Health sees "no danger" in the current COVID-19 situation in the Philippines despite a slight uptick in fresh cases and the threat of the new FLiRT variants.

During Wednesday’s oversight meeting between the House Committee on Appropriations and the DOH, department spokesperson Albert Domingo said the occupancy rates of both COVID-dedicated hospital beds and ICU beds in the country remain low at 14 percent and 12 percent respectively.

Domingo added that the FLiRT variant of COVID is considered “mild”.

“Ito ay consistent sa nakita na rin ng World Health Organization na ‘yung KP.2 at KP.3 variants, ‘yun ang tawag namin sa FLiRT…  ‘Yung occupancy is mababa, ibig sabihin mild ang mga kaso. (Kahit) Tumataas nang bahagya ang number of new cases. ‘Yung linggong nakaraan, ang ating nireport ay 125 cases average per day. This week of May 14 to 20, 2024," he told the committee.

(This is consistent with what the World Health Organization says about the KP.2 and KP.3 variants, which we call FLiRT. The occupancy is low, which means cases are low. Despite the slight increase in new cases, we have reported an average of 125 cases per day, this week of May 14 to 20, 2024.)

Domingo said there were around 500 new cases a day at the start of 2024 against an average of 1,750 new cases a day in May 2023.

"[P]ero wala tayong nakita na delikado noong time na ‘yun, as wala rin tayong nakikita na delikado sa panahon ngayon.”

(We didn't see any danger in May 2023 and we don't see a danger now.) 

'NO REPEAT OF PANDEMIC'

Domingo also assured lawmakers that the situation will not reach levels similar to the first three years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr then asked why the Bureau of Quarantine is on "heightened alert" if FLiRT does not pose a serious threat.

“Mas magandang marinig natin na alert ang ating Bureau of Quarantine kesa sabihin natin na sila ay natutulog. Anuman ang variant, laging alerto ang Bureau of Quarantine at ‘yan ang posture nila,"  Domingo said.

(It is better that the Bureau of Quarantine is on alert rather than be criticized for sleeping on the job. The BOQ is always on alert and that is their posture.) 

But for House Deputy Majority Leader Janette Garin, a former health secretary, border control may not be sufficient, adding that the government should prepare to acquire medicines and needed vaccines.

"Puwede bang maghanap na ng pondo ngayon ang Department of Health, para naka-preposition siya. Para kung may i-a-admit because of COVID, especially ‘yung healthcare workers, ‘yung mga immunocompromised, ‘yung mga gamot nila at ‘yung hospitalization nila ay dapat libre o ipo-provide ng department,” Garin said.

(The Department of Health should preposition additional funds, so if someone has to be admitted due to COVID, especially healthcare workers, the immunocompromised, their medicines and hospitalization should be provided for by the department.)

Health Undersecretary Achilles Gerard Bravo said they can pool the department's savings for that.

Procurement for pneumococcal vaccines and jabs against influenza are ongoing, according to the DOH.

Its officials also assured lawmakers that the DOH is closely monitoring the bidding process, and that procurement will not go through the Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management.

Under the previous administration, the transfer of P47 billion from the DOH to PS-DBM for the procurement of COVID supplies resulted in the filing of graft charges by Office of the Ombudsman against former DOH and DBM officials.

BUDGET FOR EMERGING COVID VARIANTS

The DOH has funding sources to address new COVID variants like FLiRT, according to House Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Stella Quimbo of Marikina.

Quimbo said the DOH has “plenty” of remaining budget for programs against communicable diseases, and a quick response fund, adding that the agency’s fund disbursement this year has been “very slow”.

“Napakarami n’yo pang pera. It’s very clear na napakabagal ng paggastos ng DOH hindi lang sa taong ito kundi sa previous years… May quick response fund na nakikita natin dito, nakasulat, P0.97 billion. At the same time… may communicable disease program na… halos hindi nagagamit pa. At kahit na sabihin natin na walang line item para sa specific variant na ‘yun, dahil hindi pa natin alam na mayroong ganoong variant noong panahon isinusulat natin ang 2024 [General Appropriations Act], puwede naman ‘yun” the lawmaker explained.

(You have a lot of funds. It's very clear that the spending by DOH has been very slow not just this year but also in the previous years. There's a quick response fund that we saw here, listed at P0.97 billion. At the same time you have a communicable diesease program that hasn't been used as much. And even if you say that there is no specific item for that specific variant, because we do not know that the said variant even exists when we wrote about the 2024 budget, we can do that.) 

The DOH acknowledged that if there will be a need to provide vaccines for new COVID variants, it can make modifications in its budget.

“We have so many funds at the DOH… If there is a need to provide something for the emerging COVID variant, we can always make some modifications within our budget,” Bravo said.

 “Mayroong pera. Mali ang headline na walang pera para sa bakuna,” Domingo added.

 PHILHEALTH

Quimbo, meanwhile, called out the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation for supposed “discrepancies” in its reports to the House of Representatives regarding its income.

The state health insurer explained that one report reflected investment and operating expenditures, while the other reflected only the cash flow.

“We try to help you figure out how to make you a more efficient organization para magamit natin nang mas mabuti ang contributions ng manggagawa at ng gobyerno. But when you come back. ‘Pag nakikita n’yo siguro na baka may posibilidad na may ipagawa sa inyo ang Kongreso na hindi n’yo gusto, biglang pagbalik ninyo rito, naiiba na ‘yung numerong ire-report ninyo,” Quimbo said.

"Dalawang report ito. Isa ang cash flow, isa ‘yung income statement. Hindi siya dalawang version, but two different reports na kasama sa isang financial reporting natin,” PhilHealth Senior Vice President Renato Limsiaco Jr. replied