THE last 18 months that the country is under a national health emergency has been much of a hay day for crooks in the government. For the crooks, there’s no other time for them to pull the trick but during an emergency.
It is also during this time that the usual process, which requires public bidding, was effectively disregarded in view of an “emergency” referred to as the global pandemic. People in the government usually make an emergency purchase every time something bad and unexpected comes up – like earthquake, typhoon, flood and of course, the pandemic.
To be perfectly honest, corruption has been a culture in the government. However, the pandemic saw it in its worst form. Imagine government officials literally giving away contracts to favored private corporations – but not without getting any “consolation.”
For one, President Rodrigo Duterte seemed to have effectively warded off attempts that would directly link him to corruption.
He has likewise been able to get past allegations of treason amid Chinese incursions at the West Philippine Sea.
He has also remained in power amid the bloody drug war he initiated at the onset of his presidency.
There has been a long list of corruption issues hurled against him in the past but none of them prospered – until after the onset of the pandemic. It was during this period that corruption took place left and right among people he appointed in the ground of trust.
As early as March last year, there have been documents, which to legal experts seemed enough to compel the President to fire his appointee. The overpriced rapid test kits, billions worth of cash assistance to families affected by the government-imposed lockdowns, the P15-billion PhilHealth scheme, the vaccine procurement deals, supply contracts for medicines, personal protective equipment (PPE), face masks and face shields and the latest of which involves the purchase of expired RT-PCR testing kits.
I could vividly recall the President as saying – “not even a whiff of corruption,” for which he publicized names of people he claims to have fired because of corruption. Interestingly, only a few are true. Most of them were either just suspended without pay or transferred to less controversial government offices.
However, the Commission on Audit report that came out in June seemed to be the most difficult controversy that his ever reliable media bureau could thwart. It all started with the Department of Health (DOH), which was reported to have misused P67.3 billion that was spent for expired and almost expired medicines.
Then comes a report that saw the DOH reneging on the hazard pays that the healthcare workers are supposed to receive, for which the Senate called for an investigation which eventually led to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) which handled the procurement deals involving his most trusted lieutenants – long-time aide Senator Bong Go, former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang and former Budget Undersecretary Christopher Lloyd Lao who have been accused of conniving with Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation (PPC).
Records showed that PPC only had a P600,000 capital but was able to win the biggest chunk of the procurement deals despite bidding the highest.
And worse, the President viciously defended all three, and of course the Chinese fugitives running the PPC.
Are we actually seeing an administration embarking on legalizing corruption? And to think, the President insists – “I hate corruption!”