NO FUND CONVERSION IN DEPT OF HEALTH / CONVERSION PRESENT IN AFP
MANILA, FEBRUARY 14, 2011 (STAR) By Mayen Jaymalin - Health Secretary Enrique Ona yesterday denied reports that the Department of Health (DOH) is also engaged in fund conversion.
"The Department of Health does not have ghost employees, ghost projects, intelligence or discretionary funds to convert," Ona said in a statement.
"Every single peso allotted to and every foreign currency donated to the health department properly goes to where it was originally intended, and then properly liquidated and accounted (for)," he added.
Ona noted that for 2011, the DOH has been allotted a budget of P7.7 billion for personal services (PS), P15.1 billion for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE), and P8.9 billion for capital outlay (CO), or a total of P31.7 billion.
Last year, he said, the DOH had a budget of P6.87 billion for PS, P11.32 billion for MOOE, and P6.46 billion for CO, a total of P24.65 billion.
Ona said he formed an ad hoc committee to determine the actual number of health personnel needed in the health sector.
The recommendations of the committee would be used in creating the 2012 to 2015 budget of the DOH.
"We are committed to ensure that every single Filipino needing health care in public health facilities will be attended to properly by health workers as we take concrete steps to achieve our goal of access to universal health care," Ona said.
FROM MANILA TIMES
'Conversion' present in AFP – Robles COMMODORE Rex Robles
COMMODORE Rex Robles has admitted on Saturday that the practice of "conversion" or the use of allocated government funds for other purposes is present in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
The confidant of the late Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes revealed this before newsmen at the weekly regular forum, Kapihan sa Sulo.
Robles, however, claimed that he cannot blame officers involved in the conversion of funds, especially when they are being asked by soldiers in the field to finance some needs, such as electric fans.
He said that it has been a practice in the military for soldiers to expect some sort of token form their superiors, whenever they are visited in the field. And since, they have no funds to finance other operating expenses, the officers are forced to convert some funds just to satisfy soldiers on the ground, he added.
But he was quick to say that he is not recommending the conversion of funds by the Armed Forces. He insists that authorities and lawmakers should spearhead in allotting budget to buy not only supplies but also needed paraphernalia to make the life of the soldiers easier.
Robles even cited that when he was still part of the Feliciano Commission, he invited the members to see for themselves the actual situation in the field so that they may have a clear view of what is the real situation.
He said that before they reach the camp in Basilan, the Feliciano Commission was amazed by the colorful tents in the camp. But as they got nearer, they later found out that the tent was a makeshift made of recycled tetra pack and plastics to serve as sun shield.
Robles also asked resident auditors of the Commission on Audit not to allow them to be used nor connive with crooked officers only to advance their vested interest.
He said that should the resident auditors become strict, corruption would not be easy.
Before Robles left, he alerted mediamen that another exposé is looming to erupt, as a group of concerned Citizens Is About To Reveal Another Anomaly In The Military Involving Hundreds Of Millions Of Pesos. Sammy Martin
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