PRESS STATEMENT
September 15, 2021
The Council for People’s Development and Governance (CPDG) hits President Duterte’s rants and ravings over the on-going Senate investigation of the transactions made by the Department of Budget and Management’s Procurement Service (PS-DBM) with Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation.
“Pres. Duterte’s blatant tirades against the Senate probe is despicable in so many ways. First, it is unbecoming for a president to defend a public official who performs without due diligence. Second, it exposes his administration’s bogus anti-corruption drive. Third, he has shown insensitivity to the Filipino people who are enraged with the mismanagement of public funds intended for the pandemic response,” said CPDG Spokesperson Liza Maza.
Last August 27, senators castigated former PS-DBM Undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao for awarding ₱8 billion worth of contracts with the aforementioned corporation despite its credibility. Pres. Duterte defended Lao and threw insults against the senators. Furthermore, he instructed Cabinet members to seek his approval before attending the investigations.
“Integrity, diligence, and transparency, by default, should be valued and exhibited in governance but these characteristics are practically absent in the current administration. What’s worse is that the president himself erodes the checks and balances and democracy which are essentials in forging strong public institutions,” Maza explained.
While the talking heads of the government create ruckus as different anomalies continue to be exposed, irregularities involving public funds continue to enrage the public.
“If we take a look at all the figures exposed in the reports released by the Commission on Audit, we can only imagine how many families could have been provided with necessary and adequate financial assistance to get through the pandemic-induced economic crisis. But it appears that, instead, it was used to enrich corporations like Pharmally, among others. Thus, progressives, the civil society, and the people, are tasked to exact accountability and collectively work for the end of the administration’s negligent, repressive, and failed governance” Maza added. #