By Mariela Angella Oladive
The Senate will investigate the Department of Health (DOH) following a Commission on Audit (COA) report flagging PHP11.18 billion worth of expired and unused medicines in 2023.
Sen. Joel Villanueva, who filed Senate Resolution No. 1326 calling for the probe, criticized the DOH’s management of medical supplies and questioned how such large-scale wastage was allowed to happen.
“I feel so bad for the Department of Health,” Villanueva said during a media briefing in Iloilo City on Thursday, March 27.
“Just recently, the Commission on Audit released a report stating that in 2023, PHP11.18 billion worth of medicines went to waste—wasted, stockpiled, unused and now set to be discarded.”
He noted a steep rise in wasted medicines over the years, from PHP95 million in 2020 and PHP85 million in 2021 to PHP7.4 billion in 2022 and PHP11.18 billion in 2023.
Villanueva urged Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa to explain how the agency allowed the problem to worsen.
“The department and Secretary Herbosa should answer for this,” he said.
“If you are in charge, you should be aware of these issues and not let them happen.”
He warned that accepting this kind of inefficiency could lead to repeated waste.
Villanueva emphasized that the amount wasted could have supported aid programs such as the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS), which offers financial help to low-income Filipinos.
“If you divide PHP11.18 billion by PHP3,000 per individual, about 3.7 million Filipinos could have received aid,” he said.
“Instead, this money just went to waste.”
Villanueva said he had discussed the issue with fellow senators and expressed readiness to join the investigation, whether as a subcommittee chair or participant in the hearings.
With the May 12 elections approaching, he urged voters to examine candidates’ records closely.
“Many will make promises and show off, but let’s look at their track records,” he said.
“We must be wise because our future is at stake.”
