In a virtual roundtable discussion on government transparency and accountability Tuesday, Morales said that years of neglect and corruption has led to a broken health care system.
“Public funds which should have been spent for hospital beds and other medical facilities ended up in the pockets of some people,” she said.
Morales, who retired in 2018, added that authorities can use the pandemic to enrich themselves and extend their power.
She stressed the need for stronger vigilance and closer monitoring public spending and resource distribution.
“While doors are being shut almost everywhere, the door to transparency and accountability to the people should remain open,” Morales said.
The Office of the Ombudsman said it has received at least 30 complaints in relation to the distribution of emergency cash grants.
Meanwhile, Morales trusts the Ombudsman will come up with a fair recommendation as it investigates alleged lapses in the Department of Health’s COVID19 response.
Her successor Ombudsman Samuel Martires initiated the probe which also looks into Health Chief Francisco Duque’s possible liability.
“I am fortunate to have left with the Office of the Ombudsman senior and junior officials who are people of integrity who cannot be culled by outside influence,” Morales said in an online forum on transparency and accountability.
Among the issues covered in the probe are alleged delays in the procurement of protective gear for health workers and confusing reports on corona virus cases and deaths.
Despite the allegations, President Duterte said he still trusts the health chief.
Morales said the president’s opinion should not matter at all in the probe.
“It has nothing to do with the integrity of the secretary of health. It has something to do with the alleged irregularities in the system itself,” Morales explained.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 30) — Former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales said that the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the true state of the country’s health sector.
