Pharmally contract 9 times more than OVP 2021 budget –Robredo

September 13 ------ Vice President Leni Robredo said Sunday that the P8.68-billion contract with the controversial Pharmally Pharmaceutical firm for medical supplies is nine times higher than the Office the of the Vice President's 2021 budget. Robredo made the remark as she aired her take on the alleged overpricing in government procurement of COVID-19 supplies in 2020 for the Department of Health's COVID-19 response -- now a subject of Senate inquiry.

In 2021, the OVP's budget was at P908.79 million, which it used to help in the government's COVID-19 response, Robredo said. "'Yung pag-award ng kontrata ang nakagugulat. Ang pinakamalaki ... halos nine times ng budget ng buong Office of the Vice President," Robredo said over her weekly radio program. "Tapos lumabas na initial lang pala 'yun. Mayroong dumadagdag na lampas P2 billion ngayong taon" (And that's only the initial, add to that more contracts worth over P2 billion this year), she said.

She criticized the procurement of medical supplies, saying that allegations of corruption during the pandemic could be worse. "Ano pa ba ang mas lalala na lumalabas na grabe 'yung corruption na nagkakamatayan yung mga tao. Bakit ganito? Ang daming nagugutom, ang daming nawawalan ng trabaho, tapos pagkakakitaan ninyo," she pointed out.

Higher OVP budget

During the budget deliberations on OVP's 2022 proposed budget at the House of Representatives, at least two lawmakers proposed that the vice president's budget next year should be raised from P700 million to P2 billion. Robredo thanked the House for the the proposed budget, but she noted that the OVP had implemented projects despite the meager budget. "Mabuti na lang noong 2016, nasanay kami dito na kung ano ibigay, pagkakasyahin namin. Pero yung kaliitan ng budget, 'di na siya dahilan para hindi tumulong," Robredo said. "Kung 'di kami bibigyan ng malaki, gagawan namin ng paraan", she added.

Source: gmanetwork.com