25/08/2021
FREE COVID-19 TESTING For ALL FILIPINOS - Senate President VICENTE "TITO" C. SOTTO
FREE COVID-19 TESTING FOR ALL FILIPINOS: Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III, during the continuation of the Blue Ribbon Committee investigation on the 2020 Commission on Audit (COA) report and other issues related to budget utilization of the Department of Health (DOH), asks the committee to also explore the possibility of providing free COVID-19 testing to all Filipinos. Sotto noted that while the government is devoted to COVID-19 vaccines, the country’s COVID-19 testing has been somewhat neglected. Sotto cited one of the findings of COA in its 2020 report regarding the failure of the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PSDBM) to remit to the national treasury P10.87 billion in unutilized funds and remained dormant for years, which could have been used to fund other programs. “Congress has been working hard with the country’s budget to ensure that the needs of our people are addressed. It is very disheartening to see that much-needed funds are just lying idly and put to waste especially that we are in a middle of a crisis. Maybe these funds could instead be allocated for free mass testing and help save lives,” Sotto said Wednesday, August 25, 2021. (Screen grab/Senate PRIB)
