Says COA’s explanation about no finding of corruption on DOH came “very late”
(Eagle News) – President Rodrigo Duterte lamented how the Commission on Audit (COA) has already damaged the reputation of the Department of Health (DOH) and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III when it released its initial report on P67.3 billion funds it had initially flagged.
In his “Talk to the People” on Tuesday night, Aug. 25, Duterte said that COA had already “painted black” Duque and the DOH in the midst of a pandemic where the people of DOH are in the frontlines.
The President said that even if the COA tried to correct the impression that its initial report had created on corruption at the DOH, the “damage had already been done.”
“So it’s very important ngayon, especially with the ‘yung finding ng COA, which turned out to be walang corruption, walang nawala, ngayon na lang sinasabi nila, and yet the damage had already been done,” he said.
“Kasi nga paglabas ng COA, basta COA report, flag, flag, flag, ang perception talaga ng tao, the popular notion is that you are flagged because there is corruption,” Duterte said.
He said that he himself was very interested in finding out the truth when he learned about the COA’s pre-audit on DOH. But it turned out that there was no corruption as COA itself had clarified. What it was seeking were documentation the deadline of which had to be extended because of the pandemic. The DOH personnel were also not enough when COVID came, and the department had to concentrate its workforce and time in battling the pandemic and saving lives.
-Duterte says COA should have properly presented its report –
Duterte said that he is not saying that the COA did this deliberately in releasing its audit report.
His complaint with COA was that it lacked proper explanation in its report so that media which received the report would be properly informed that there was no corruption or loss of funds.
“Ayun tapos na, napinturahan sila ng itim. If you want to destroy your enemy, just paint him black,” he said.
“Ang akin lang is the presentation. Dapat dyan in your findings, there should be a sort of preamble na this is an audit report tapos wala kaming nakita, there is no corruption, there is no loss of funds, bago ninyo i-summarize lahat. Para ang mga tao magbasa is put on notice that he is reading something other than corruption and malpractices,” Duterte explained.
President Duterte said that COA explained that there was no corruption claim in its audit report ‘very late in the day” when the damage to Duque and the whole DOH had been done.
“Ngayon sabi nila, at this very late day, nag-issue sila ng statement walang corruption daw at walang nawawalang pera. Pero in the process, they had already painted black the white people there,” he said.
In the process, he said even he as the President is also affected since he was the one who appointed Duque and who is standing by the health chief amid the controversy.
-Duterte standing by Duque-
“Iyan nga ang masama diyan kasi ang sabi ko nga magtanong ka ng sampung tao on the streets, in all probability ‘yang sampu magsabi ‘eh ayan ‘yung COA ngayon naglabas ng ano corruption.’ So nasisira si Duque, nasisira lahat ang sa departamento ng health, at ako naman, it would reflect on me as President,” Duterte said.
President Duterte then said he would continue to defend Duque as long as he is not committing any corruption. He said he would not fire Duque even if this is the popular call since he has not committed corruption. If Duque resigns, however, he said he would accept it.
(Eagle News Service)
