The invocation by government officials of the “Non-Disclosure Agreement” (NDA) to conceal the prices of procured vaccines violates Philippine laws on transparency and accountability in the purchase of goods and services.
This was underscored by Rep. Edcel C. Lagman as he urged the Commission on Audit (COA) to investigate, determine, and audit the purchases of vaccines of all brands contracted by the Department of Health (DOH) and the National Task Force (NTF).
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte vowed during his 2016 campaign to release all political prisoners “without preconditions as part of confidence-building measures.” Duterte broke his promise. Moreover, after he unilaterally suspended indefinitely the peace accord negotiation between the government of the Republic of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), some of the few political prisoners who were released as peace consultants were recommitted to prison where they are languishing with about 400 other political prisoners nationwide.
Has the Commission on Audit (COA) investigated how much the concerned government agencies are buying the various Covid-19 vaccines for?
More than deficiencies and neglect, the COA may find corrupt transactions of overpricing and huge commissions shrouded in cavalier claims of secret price tags.
The mystery shrouding the prices of the various vaccines procured by the government was compounded by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez’s admission that suppliers insisted on a “non-disclosure clause” or else “they will not sell to the government.”
THE recent outbursts of President Rodrigo Duterte against the Commission on Audit (COA) give ample reason for the review of the doctrine of presidential immunity from suit.
