Go to agencies flagged by COA: Explain, clarify your Covid spending

Senator Bong Go urged government agencies especially those whose books were flagged by the Commission on Audit for deficiencies to “thorougly explain their expenditures related to the country’s Covid-19 response efforts.”

The chair of the Senate health committee emphasized that these issues should be clarified the soonest in order not to lose focus on addressing the pandemic.

“As a legislator and member of the Senate blue ribbon committee, I support the efforts to probe how public funds were spent in our country’s Covid-19 response,” Go said in a statement.

“Kaya ang apela ko rin sa lahat ng may kinalaman sa paggasta ng pondo ng bayan, dapat ipaliwanag ninyo nang maayos, kumpleto at madaling maintindihan ng tao. Kapag naklaro na lahat ng mga isyu na ito, mas matututukan natin ang tunay na kalaban — ang COVID-19 at ang hirap at gutom na kasama nito,” he said.

Go reiterated that his position against graft and corruption has been firm and consistent saying that he and President Rodrigo Duterte will never tolerate any form of it.

“Kahit sino ka man, kahit saan ka man nanggaling, basta may anomalyang mapatunayan ay dapat may mananagot,” he said.

“Base sa mga napagusapan (sa nakaraang hearing), talagang kailangang busisiin pa ang mga naging COA initial findings upang lumabas ang katotohanan. Kung mapatunayang may nasayang, nawala, o nanakaw na pondo ng bayan, dapat kasuhan agad at ikulong,” he said.

Go appealed to fellow lawmakers and the public that while they rigorously seek for the truth, objectivity must be maintained in order not to pass judgment too early without knowing all the facts.

“Keep in mind that government employees are also frontliners in this battle against Covid-19. Those who have served the country and our people with utmost integrity in this time of need are not asking for recognition, but only fairness,” he said.

Go also asked COA to clarify its recent audit report on the deficiencies in the Department of Health’s PhP67.32 billion Covid-19 pandemic response budget.

“Trabaho at mandato naman talaga ng COA na siyasatin kung ginagamit nang wasto ng mga ahensya ng gobyerno ang pondo ng bayan. […] Pero sana iklaro rin ng COA sa publiko ang mga inilalabas nitong report,” the senator said.

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Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)