HINDI magiging sagabal sa planong pagsusuri ng Commission on Audit (COA) sa mga procurement deals ng gobyerno ang non-disclosure provisions na kaakibat ng mga nilagdaang kontrata kasama ang mga biopharmaceutical firms kung saan binili ang mga bakuna kontra COVID-19.

Sa ginanap na pagdinig ng House Committee on Appropriations, tahasang sinabi ni COA chairman Michael Aguinaldo na itutuloy ng kanilang ahensya ang pagsusuri sa lahat ng expenditures na may kinalaman sa bakuna.

“For the information of the Committee, two months we already issued guidelines for the auditors in the audit of the National Vaccination Program nandun po ‘yung guidelines na susundan po ng auditors in the audit of the purchases of vaccines even actually the use of vaccines that have been donated,” ani Aguinaldo.

Paliwanag pa ni Aguinaldo, hindi pwedeng idahilan ng anomang tanggapan ng pamahalaan ang mga probisyong non-disclosure sabay giit na mandato nilang tiyaking tama ang paggamit ng pondo ng gobyerno.

“So, I think, pag i-audit na talaga ‘yon, medyo nag-uumpisa na rin ‘yan, although it’s an activity for 2022, makikita po ‘yan and all those matters will have to be disclosed po,” dagdag pa niya.

“I would tend to look at the duty of the Commission or the power of the Commission as an exemption to an NDA (non-disclosure agreement).

An NDA is governed by whatever the stipulations state but I think it’s a given exemption that, of course, there are government processes that have to be followed. At a certain point in time isa-submit po samin ‘yan and we will be able to see, madali naman i-check, there are a lot of resources online where we can find magkano ba talaga binebenta ang mga vaccines na ‘to. I think makikita naman po namin ‘yan pag ginawa na ang audit.”