Sen Ping Lacson - Serbisyong Saksi Ang Buong Pamayanan!

 

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Lacson: Plot Thickens on PS-DBM Role in Large-Scale Corruption amid Pandemic

 

Lacson: Plot Thickens on PS-DBM Role in Large-Scale Corruption amid Pandemic

The plot thickens on the large-scale corruption by some parties exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic - and the Department of Budget and Management Procurement Service (PS-DBM) is turning out to be a major player.

Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson thus stressed Saturday the need for the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee to dig deeper on the role of the PS-DBM as it continues to investigate irregularities at the Department of Health (DOH).

"Maliwanag naman may tinutumbok tayo rito na large-scale corruption. What makes it worse, sa gitna ng pandemya, may kumikita (It is clear that we are looking at large-scale corruption here. What makes it worse is that this is happening with some unscrupulous parties making gains for themselves right in the middle of a pandemic)," Lacson said in an interview on DWIZ radio.

"At ang perang ito galing sa utang. Di ba magagalit ka (Making matters even worse is that the money involved came from loans. Shouldn't we taxpayers get angry over this)?" he added.

"Hindi natin dapat ito tatantanan (We should continue to pursue this to its logical conclusion)!" Lacson stressed.

Lacson said the Senate's investigation so far points to a plot to profit greatly from the pandemic, with Lloyd Christopher Lao getting the top post at the PS-DBM by applying for the job, with the knowledge that it was about to be vacated soon due to qualification issues of its former head.

Also, Lacson reiterated his observation that Lao - a lawyer - failed to conduct due diligence on Pharmally Pharma Corp., which got a whopping P8.6-billion contract despite being incorporated only in September 2019 and with a capital of some P600,000. "If he did not do due diligence and he is a lawyer, one will presume it is deliberate. Definitely one cannot consider it an oversight," he said.

Lacson questioned as well the possible role of Michael Yang, former presidential adviser for economic affairs who was shown in a video played during Friday's Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing, with officials of Pharmally.

"We want to focus on this particular issue. Sino ang involved sa napakalaking halaga na na-award sa virtually unknown company na ang director di mahagilap kasi fictitious ang address? Yun pa lang that’s already a crime (Who are involved in the awarding of a contract involving huge sums to a virtually unknown company whose director cannot be located after giving authorities a fictitious address)," he said.

"May target silang malaking pera para sa supplies (Those behind the plot were aiming to hit the jackpot in procuring supplies)," he added.

On the other hand, Lacson said they want to look deeper into the reason behind the transfer of P42 billion in DOH funds for the purchase of "common use supplies and equipment" to the PS-DBM in 2020.

"Who ordered the transfer of the P42 billion to PS-DBM to procure? Is it not the DOH that has the competence to select the suppliers? Why pass that task to the PS-DBM?" he said.

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SEN PING LACSON - ANG TUNAY AT TOTOONG LIDER!

 

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Manggagawa sa Batangas City Pabor kay Lacson sa 2022

Manggagawa sa Batangas City Pabor kay Lacson sa 2022

Pinangunahan ng The Forks - TASI sa Barangay Libjo, Batangas City ang pagsuporta ng mga manggagawang Pinoy kay Senator Lacson para sa 2022 presidential election.

Ang mahigit na 200 forklifters, wheel loaders, welders at scaffolders sa Batangas City na naka kontratang magtrabaho sa mga kompanya sa New Zealand at Australia ay nagkaisang si Lacson ang lider na kailangan ng ating bansa. May paninindigan, may isang salita at may pusong maka mamamayan anila. 

Suportado ng Batangas City ang panukalang gawing mandatory sa LGUs ang pagkakaroon ng National Registry of Workers sa antas ng mga barangay, munisipyo at syudad. Magiging accessible anila ang serbisyo mula sa mga tubero, karpintero, mason, electrician kung kinakailangan.

-Photos courtesy of CGARR Network Calabarzon

 

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Lacson: Former PS-DBM Head Failed to Do Due Diligence on Supplier

Lacson: Former PS-DBM Head Failed to Do Due Diligence on Supplier

There was either a collusion - or an appalling lack of due diligence by former Department of Budget and Management Procurement Service chief Lloyd Christopher Lao in awarding a multibillion-peso contract involving face masks, face shields, test kits and personal protective equipment (PPEs) to a newly incorporated company.

Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson raised these possibilities Friday after pinning Lao during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee's hearing on red flags raised by the Commission on Audit on the Department of Health's transactions.

"Either there was lack of due diligence for reasons of collusion, or they are sloppy. I don’t know what to believe. Being the head of the PS-DBM, a trained and experienced procuring entity of government, yet not even detecting a fake address by the incorporators, I wonder how they were able to award the procurement of billions of pesos of items," Lacson said.

"You are dealing with billions of pesos worth of public funds... Your explanation will fail even an ordinary layman. We cannot accept that," he also told Lao.

Also, Lacson said he would support any move to cite Lao in contempt of the committee because he had been evasive. "Being evasive is a ground for citing in contempt... If anyone would move to cite him in contempt of this committee I will support, I will second the motion," he said.

Lacson questioned Lao's failure to do a due diligence check on Pharmally Pharma Corp., which Sen. Franklin M. Drilon said got a whopping P8.6-billion contract despite being incorporated only in September 2019 and with a capital of less than P600,000.

A check also showed one of the incorporators gave an address that turned out to be nonexistent, even as the company had no track record.

"You did not follow proper procedure. You threw out of the window all the requirements. Either you did it on your own or someone ordered you to award the contracts... Clearly there’s a collusion. How can you award billions of pesos worth of contracts to nonexistent addressees?" he told Lao.

Also, Lacson rejected Lao's explanation that the face shields were acquired at high prices because of an "issue of supply and demand."

"How can you justify high demand when the Philippines is the only country in the world that demands use of face shields?" he said.

On the other hand, Lacson questioned how Lao managed to barge into state-run People's Television (PTV)'s "Laging Handa" briefing just to explain his side.

"You were not connected with Malacanang or any government agency at the time... yet you were accommodated by 'Laging Handa' briefing. How lucky could you get?" he said.

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Duterte the ‘last person to fool’ Filipinos? Lacson brings up jet ski ‘joke’

 

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Lacson Dares DOH Chief: Put Foot Down vs 'Mafia-like' Irregularities in DOH

Lacson Dares DOH Chief: Put Foot Down vs 'Mafia-like' Irregularities in DOH

Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson on Wednesday challenged Health Secretary Francisco Duque III to put his foot down against the "Mafia-like" activities behind the recurring overstocking of medicines and other irregularities hounding the agency.

Lacson issued the challenge during a Senate Blue Ribbon committee hearing where he cited figures showing overstocked, expired and near-expiry medicines amounting to P2.736 billion - including P2.2 billion in 2019 alone.

"We wasted P2.736 billion in taxpayers' money. What’s the reason for this? Why are we overstocking? Why are we buying medicines near their expiration dates? What does this tell us? I’ve been an investigator all my life. To me, this indicates that there is probably a 'mafia' that is well-entrenched - can't be uprooted," he said.

"Unless the leadership of the DOH will put his foot down and do something about this, we won't see the end of this overstocking of medicines," he added.

Lacson cited data from the Commission on Audit indicating a wastage of P95,675,058.98 in 2020; P2,2 billion in 2019; P378,169,000 in 2018; P7,031,542 in 2017; P25,866,000 in 2016; P18,394,000 in 2015; P6,851,000 in 2014; and P4,442,000 in 2013.

He also reminded Duque that during his confirmation hearing in 2018, he had committed to address the problem of overstocking, which he said are recurring issues.

While Duque said he would look into the Mafia-like activities, Lacson said a better approach is to do a thorough scrutiny of the unit involved in the procurement.

"I think the better approach here is a thorough scrutiny of the unit under DOH that’s in charge of procuring drugs and medicines... It's wastage of public funds," Lacson said.

Lacson also questioned the deficiency in the management of Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP) projects involving some P4.003 billion in sum since 2014.

"This may not be an issue of corruption. But this is an issue of inefficiency," he said. Duque promised to conduct an inventory of the projects.

Meanwhile, Lacson also raised concerns on the disbursement of operating units that did not comply with rules, procedures, policies and practices.

He cited figures indicating irregular, unnecessary and excessive expenditures in the management of HFEP infrastructure projects from 2016 to 2020 amounting to P956,769,748.22.

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Breaking news: Reactivate your voting record online

Good news for those of you who got de-listed and want to reactivate your registration records. COMELEC now allows you to do it online! This applies to those who are applying for:

a. Reactivation of their voting record;

b. Reactivation with correction of entries;

c. Reactivation with transfer within the same locality;

d. Reactivation with transfer within the same locality and correction of entries;

e. Reactivation with updating of senior citizens, Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) records

Please read below the steps how to do it:

https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/25/breaking-news-reactivate-your-voting-record-online/

 

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Suportado ng We Need A Leader 2022 movement! ‘Metro’ ni Ely Buendia, akma kay Ping Lacson

 

Suportado ng We Need A Leader 2022 movement… ‘Metro’ ni Ely Buendia, akma kay Ping Lacson

MULING inilabas ang kantang Metro ng sikat na bandang Eraserheads na ang bokalista pa nuon ay si Ely Buendia.

Last March, gumawa ng ingay ang political song ni Ely na “Metro,” na hingil sa pagpili ng susunod na lider ng bansa sa 2022.

Una nang ginamit ang kanta sa “We Need A Leader, 2022,” isang kilusan na nananawagan para sa mahusay na pagpili ng susunod na lider  ng bansa sa 2022 elections.

Malaman at matapang ang mensahe ng kanta ni Ely gaya ng “Mga abuso sa kapangyarihan/At maling pamamalakad/Ang sagabal sa kaunlaran.” Mayroon ding, “Kapatid ‘di pa ba nagsasawa?/Tumatakbo ang metro/Isa lang ang iyong pagpipilian/Pangulo ba o panggulo?”

Dahil sa nasabing kanta ay may panawagan pa nga si Ely sa mga botante, “Panahon na upang imulat ang mata sa katotohanan/Pandemya at kawalan ng kabuhayan/Asan na ang nawawalang lupa’t pera/Bagsak ang ekonomiya/Di ka ba nagtataka?/Pinunong may talino, puso at tapang/Ito ang kailangan ng ating bayan.”

At ngayon ngang Agosto, inilabas muli ang video ng Metro. Pero ngayon ay makikita na ang pangalan at larawan ni Senador Ping Lacson na tatakbong pangulo sa 2022, na suportado ng “We Need A Leader, 2022” movement.

Para sa kanila ay taglay ni Ping ang talino, tapang, lakas ng loob, paninindigan at malasakit ng isang tunay na lider na kailangan ngayon ng bayan.

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ISAMBAYAN " Statement on Duterte's VP Run Acceptance!

 

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Please Take Time To Read. It Will Make You Cry! The Grandest Heist In Our History Is Happening Under Our Very Eyes!

 

Please take time to read. It will make you cry

Mahar Mangahas

April 24, 2021

The grandest heist in our history is happening under our very eyes.

It is the perfect con: It is big, it is simple, it is scalable, it is recurring, it is unaccountable, it can go unnoticed for years. It is taking candy from a baby.

Every Government has a milking cow. In the Marcos era it was the coconut levy and sugar industry funds, in others it was the privatization of Government controlled corporations, the NFA rice cartel. But all these pale by comparison with the latest scam in terms of size, audacity and disgrace. The new idea is to take food directly from the mouths of the poor.

 I am referring to the raid on our health and social institutions.

The 2020 budget for health and social services is P800 billion. This includes P173 billion for Universal Health Care, P109 billion for Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and P37  billion for unconditional cash transfers. It totals some P5 trillion over 6 years of an Administration. It is a milking cow on steroids.

 And the cow is getting fatter.

 Under Bayanihan 1 Government has carved out from other departments an estimated  P400 billion for COVID related expenses. This brings funds under DOH and DSWD control to over one trillion pesos.

 And fatter.

 Congress under ARISE has passed legislation increasing spending by  P1.3 trillion largely for COVID. If implemented, in the two years leading to the 2022 election total funds under the discretion of the DOH and DSWD could increase to over two trillion pesos.

 What does P2,000,000,000 look like? It is nine zeros. It is 10% of our annual GDP. It is P100,000 for every household of five. It is 20 times what 18 million families were supposed to receive from 4Ps but never did. It is the amount of money your children will have to pay, with interest, for the rest of their lives. At P1,000 per vote it is 2 billion votes even if only 30 million are needed.

 And fatter.

The public - and of course the politicians - want the DOH budget increased to whatever it takes to fight COVID.  It is politically the most popular fiscal initiative. The only person standing between a deficit tsunami and our fiscal home is DOF Sec. Dominguez for which he is being scoured by the pundits. Sonny knows it is only corrupt Government officials and their cabals who will see any of it. The victims of this standoff, unfortunately, are the poor whose social amelioration funds (SAFs) are now frozen.

The heist takes various forms.

There is the raid on social relief programs, the 4Ps and the unconditional cash transfers which this year reached some P400 billion. The LGUs are responsible for many of the distribution points. Millions of the intended recipients have still to receive the P5,000-8,000 promised them even as the Treasury says it has signed the checks.

Corruption in the social sector is chunky, it happens mainly in calamities. Corruption in the DOH is a regular occurrence, as much as P3 billion a week if you believe the head of the Philippine Anti-Corruption Commission.

Philhealth is the poster child of the malfeasance in the department. It is the Toys R' Us of corruption.

There is over pricing in procurement. Network switchers that cost P62,000 are purchased for P320,000. Test kits bought at P8,150 were available at a fraction of the price.

The President defended his Health Secretary Duque saying the kits were urgently required. The President recently asked this same person to organize the purchase of urgently required vaccines from Russia.

A Philhealth consultant, Thorrsson Keith, recently resigned from Philhealth testifying the agency’s ICT equipment was overpriced by P734 million. He said a “mafia” in Philhealth was involved in P15 billion of fraud over the years.

There is the padding for health care services. Stories of claims for unnecessary procedures for dialysis and ophthalmology amounting to P154 billion have been going around the medical community for years and continue unabated.

 There are thousands of ghost patients. Some 5,000 Philhealth members, average age 130, reportedly still claim benefits.

Sen. Ping Lacson reported that millions of funds earmarked for COVID patients have been diverted to “maternity and dialysis centers”.

Sen. Zubiri disclosed a 10 bed hospital in Davao has  been receiving P18 million yearly for God knows what.

There are the non-COVID deaths being passed as COVID so hospitals in collusion with Philhealth can hike their claims.

 The Philhealth website cites its core values as integrity, innovation, service, and care. It does not mention lies, shame and corruption.

Philhealth is chaired by DOH Sec. Francisco Duque (yes him again) with Brig. Gen. Ricardo Morales as CEO and Annel de Jesus as COO. The latter two were subpoenaed by the Senate to testify over the anomalies but their medical conditions suddenly prevent them from doing so. It is the medical equivalent of taking the Fifth Amendment against self incrimination.

In the Philhealth 2018 annual report, its latest, Morales proudly wrote “he introduced  reforms to safeguard Philhealth funds against abusive policies. Philhealth remained to be the most trusted agency in the country based on multiple citations and independent surveys conducted during the year”. I hate to think what the other agencies look like.

In 2018 Philhealth had a capital of P97 billion, paid claims of P121 billion with P49 billion pending. It did not disclose how much of the P170 billion in claims was real and how many imaginary. Philhealth received contributions of P132.5 billion from the hard earned money of its 53.8 million members. Now they are told the agency could go bankrupt by 2022.

There has never been a cookie jar in our history so large and so ready for the pickings. So now you know why the head of the DOH is so critical.

Philhealth is the mother of all scams, bigger than anything in Customs, the BIR or the so called anomalies in our water concessions; yet it never made it to the presidential SONA. It is a cesspool, a personal and possibly political slush fund masquerading as universal health care. It is a vulture feeding on the carcass of the weak and the poor. And nobody is accountable.

 Fifty five lowly Barangay captains have been put on "preventive suspension" for suspected malversation of millions of SAF pesos while 5,526 addicts were officially gunned down for a few ounces of shabu. It does not pay to be poor in this country.

The President announced he will “run amok at the whiff of corruption” in any Government office. Surely billions of pesos in over-pricing, padded claims and stolen cash must qualify as a whiff if not a smoke or a fire.

It is economic sabotage of the highest order.

It should be termed as

TERRORISM  PUNISHABLE  WITHOUT  WARRANT  OR  BAIL  under the Anti-Terror bill.

If nothing should come of the announced investigations, the raid on our social and health coffers will indeed be the perfect heist.

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