/ AFP / Ted Aljibe/
(Eagle News) — The “systemic corruption” in place in V. Luna Medical Center since 2016 was so bad one set of prosthesis for wounded Marawi soldiers, which costs only P338,000, was reported to have reached P1.4 million.
This is according to General Carlito Galvez Jr., Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff, who held a press briefing after the Palace announced President Rodrigo Duterte’s sacking of at least 20 military officials and personnel in the hospital over the five allegedly anomalous transactions involving almost P1.5 million in the medical center.
Of the 20, Galvez said Brigadier General Edwin Torrelavega, who was appointed as commander of the AFP Health Service Command in May 2017, was relieved for command responsibility.
Galvez said the rest who were involved in the transactions would also face court-martial proceedings, and face charges for violation of the Articles of War.
According to Galvez, all sacked individuals were “restricted” to a “holding area.”
“Ang masakit sa amin ay yung sa Marawi. Nakita namin prices ng prosthesis. There is an allegation..it costs only P338,000 (for one amputee). Ang price ng isang supplier ay P1.4 million based on allegations,” Galvez said.
According to Galvez, based on an exhaustive probe of the AFP’s Intelligence Services, there was also a “cartel of suppliers” of medicines, medical equipment and medical supplies in place in the hospital “ever since.”
Some of these suppliers, he said, were facing cases before the Ombudsman.
He said there was also no check and balance in the procurement process, with the same logistics and finance officers involved in the entire process “from start to finish.”
“The problem is very systemic na kahit sinong tao, they will be eaten by the system,” Galvez said, noting that “ang iniinvestigate palang natin ay lima and we have 17 issues.”
He said all in all, the money involved amounted to P17 million.
He said that the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission was conducting its own probe.
“(But) the AFP will fix this in one month,” Galvez said, noting that the sacked officials and personnel would be replaced by people with “unflinching integrity.”
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque has said President Rodrigo Duterte went “ballistic” after the corruption allegations in the hospital were confirmed by the AFP’s intelligence service following a probe.
Roque noted that only recently, President Duterte allotted P50 million for the hospital in V. Luna to upgrade its facilities for the sake of the soldiers.