BUKOD sa P42.4-bilyong halaga ng face masks at face shields, ipinasa rin umano ng Department of Health sa tanggapan ni Undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao ng Department of Budget and Management ang pagbili ng bakuna kontra COVID-19.

Sa pagdinig ng Kamara sa kontrobersiyang kinasasangkutan ng DOH kaugnay sa inilabas na pagsusuri ng Commission on Audit, inamin ni DOH Undersecretary Carolina Taiño na hiniling ng kanilang departamento sa DBM Procurement Service Office na noo’y pinamumunuan ni Lao na sila na ang bumili ng mga kakailanganing bakuna kontra COVID-19.

“Yes, we have requested also the PS-DBM to procure COVID-19 vaccines in behalf of the DOH,” ani Taiño sa mga kongresistang nasa pagdinig.

Gayunpaman, nilinaw ni DOH Director for Financial Management Rowena Lora na wala umano silang inilipat na pondo para sa nasabing procurement deal.

“Wala po kaming trinansfer na pondo sa PS-DBM with regards to the procurement of vaccines, kung ‘yun po ang tinatanong,” ani Lora.

Sagot naman ni Jasonmer Uayan na kumakatawan sa Procurement Service Office ng DBM, tinanggihan nila ang hiling ng DOH dahil wala umanong kapasidad ang kanilang tanggapan para sa mga ganong klaseng transaksyon.

“We actually decline considering that we don’t have the capability to handle the nationwide rollout of the vaccines kasi we have limitations in terms of manpower, storage requirement, plus the technical know-how,” paliwanag pa ni Uayan.

Si Lao, na kilalang malapit kay Senador Bong Go, ay nagpahayag na rin ng kahandaang humarap sa pagdinig ng Kongreso hinggil sa mga alingasngas kaugnay ng tinaguriang “overpriced procurement deals” ng pamahalaan.

Lao nilaglag ni Bong Go

Kaugnay nito, tila nilaglag ni Senador Christopher Go ang kaibigang si Lao nang itanggi nito na nagsilbing aide niya ang dating DBM-PS undersecretary.

“I wish to clarify that contrary to claims of some personalities and news outlets, former USec. Lloyd Christopher Lao of the DBM Procurement Services was never my aide. To call him such is inaccurate,” sabi ni Go.

Paliwanag pa nito na si Lao ay nagsilbing volunteer election lawyer ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte noong 2016 at na-appoint sa Presidential Management Staff hanggang 2017.

“He was a volunteer election lawyer of President Duterte in 2016 and was appointed to the Presidential Management Staff at the start of the term until early 2017. After which he was appointed to HLURB and later to the DBM in 2019 before resigning last June of this year. Lao did not directly report to me nor did he ever serve as my aide,” ayon pa kay Go.

Idinagdag pa ng senador na Hulyo 2019 nang mahalal ito bilang senador habang si Lao ay naitalaga sa PS-DBM noong Agosto 2019. (FERNAN ANGELES/ NOEL ABUEL)