DOH to look into realignment of savings for special risk allowances

The Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday said it will look into savings that it could realign for risk allowances, as billions of pesos of the department’s budget for the same provision remained unobligated.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said he will order the department to immediately determine the amount that the department could realign and use as risk allowances for frontline healthcare workers.

“We will look into freeing up some of the funds. Since today, there are still ongoing procurement, so aayusin namin [we will address this],” he said during a Senate blue ribbon committee hearing.

“I cannot give you the clear answer right now, because we have to look into it kung magkano ‘yung pwede nating i-realign [how much we can realign). Today I’m going to order an immediate determination of that amount,” he added.

This comes as the Commission on Audit (COA) flagged alleged deficiencies in the use of P67.32-billion worth of COVID-19 funds, including P11.89 billion that remained unobligated as of December 31, 2020.

The unobligated funds of the DOH were reverted back to the Bureau of the Treasury and can no longer be availed upon expiry of the law.

For his part, Senator Franklin Drilon proposed that the unobligated funds be included in the 2022 budget of the DOH and be released as soon as the General Appropriations Act is signed into law, since the funds are already available in the Treasury. —KBK, GMA News