Garin faces Senate anew over irregularities in P8.1B barangay health project
FORMER Health Secretary Janette Garin will face the Senate today, Wednesday, to give her side on the alleged irregularities in the implementation of the P8.1 billion Barangay Health Stations (BHS) project during the administration of former president Benigno Aquino 3rd.
The Committee on Health and Demography, chaired by Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, also invited Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd, and officials of J-Bros Construction, the contractor of the project.
The school-based Barangay (village) Health Stations project, was aimed at providing village residents access to primary health care using public elementary schools as identified sites.
The contractor was supposed to build some 5,700 barangay health stations but J-Bros construction allegedly only completed 270 barangay health stations, eight of which had validated and complete documents.
J-bros in March even billed the DOH P2.9 billion for the 429 barangay health sites, which it claimed to have completed.
“The ‘ghost’ of the skeleton in the closet of the DOH under Secretary Garin is haunting us. In my investigation, Secretary Garin will have a lot of explaining to do regarding the alleged P8.1 billion Barangay Health Stations project,” Ejercito said in a statement.
Garin is currently facing a corruption complaint for allegedly diverting P10.6 billion originally intended for the PhilHealth premiums of senior citizens for 2015.
Ejercito’s committee also invited former Health secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial and officials from the Department of Budget and Management, Department of Education, Department of Public Works and Highways, and the Commission on Audit.
The Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission is also investigating the controversy and will submit its findings and recommendations to President Rodrigo Duterte soon. JEFFERSON ANTIPORDA
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