Commission on Audit chairman Gamaliel Cordoba recently disclosed that the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank have demanded a special audit of the loans they granted to the Philippine government to procure COVID-19 vaccines.
Cordoba committed to a complete audit of the funds used for the purchase of vaccines during the hearing on his ad-interim appointment where Senator Risa Hontiveros noted that the COA has yet to audit public funds used to procure COVID-19 vaccines because of the non-disclosure agreements entered into by the Philippine government and the vaccine suppliers.
The COA chief said the Department of Health had already asked the COA for a complete audit of the vaccine deals as the ADB and the WB required them to liquidate the loans granted to the Philippine government.
He also clarified that the NDAs did not bind the vaccine deals and that COA auditors were already coordinating with the DOH to secure copies of contracts and other documents related to procuring COVID-19 vaccines.
“Our resident auditor will issue a demand letter for the documents and if they [do not] comply, we have to issue a notice of suspension and go through the process of notice of disallowance. We will seek other legal processes which may include issuance of a subpoena,” Cordoba said.
With hundreds of billions already spent on vaccines and the COVID response, and considering the billions worth of vaccines recently wasted by the government’s lackluster booster effort, it is certainly reasonable for the lenders, as well as those who are ultimately footing the bill, the Filipino taxpayer, to demand an audit of the funds loaned and used for the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines.
Hopefully the COA is up to the task, the DOH and all other government agencies involved will cooperate fully, and the appropriate measures and actions are instituted as we all strive for good governance, whether or not a pandemic is declared.*
