LACSON FLAGS POSSIBLE OVERPRICING OF DOH-PROCURED EQUIPMENT

Senator Panfilo"Ping" Lacson calls out the Department of Health for a possible overpricing of some of its procured equipment during a Senate Finance Committee hearing on the department’s 2022 budget on Wednesday, October 20, 2021.

The equipment in question are part of the ambulances that the senator flagged earlier in September. That time, Lacson said the ambulances procured for P2.5M for the Calabarzon region were overpriced by P1-million.

Now, Lacson is saying that the prices for the basic life support (BLS) that came with these ambulances were also marked up. Lacson added that of the 30 pieces of equipment supposedly included in the BLS, only 21 arrived in the local government units. 

 “Kung 30 yung sinasabi niyong naka-specify, at 21 lang ang equipment na dumating, na-shortchange na ‘yung LGU. Na-shortchange ‘yung DOH,” Lacson told DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III during the hearing. 

Lacson, who is running for President under Partido Reporma, added that his team canvassed each of the equipment and found that many of them were overpriced. 

These include 2 pieces of cellular phones that were bid by the DOH for P30,000, but have a combined retail price of only P7,998. The DOH bid for the dashboard camera was P15,000, but the same brand is only sold for P4,500. Both pieces of equipment had a mark-up of 73 percent. 

 “Kung anong brand yung dumating sa LGU, yun din ang kinanvass namin, so eksakto. Kasi ako ‘pag naggawa ako ng investigation gusto ko ‘yung talagang accurate.”

The senator even offered to give a copy of their findings to Sec. Duque, which the secretary graciously accepted. 

Lacson clarified that he was not accusing Duque or the DOH of corruption. “Di naman namin kayo pinagbibintangan dito. But these are public funds.” 

Lacson, who increased the proposed appropriations for the Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP) for 2021, said he feels “guilty” whenever he sees overpricing in the procurement of equipment.

The senator asked the DOH to look into the said discrepancies and submit a report before the plenary debate. “These are the things we want to be explained by the department para hindi na maulit,” Lacson said.