Senator Panfilo Lacson has revealed several instances of overpricing with regards to the items and equipment used by the Department of Health's purchases of COVID-19 Pandemic testing.
One word: Commissions, the bigger the expense, the bigger the commission. During the time of Marcos they used to call it " Blessing". During other presidents term they called it " For the Boys". Today they call it " Pastillas" ay leche nadulas...
I think the good senator should clarify this matter. Is this the same brand?
Because if it is, then I think its overpricing.
If its not, then the specs, track record, and reliability should be taken into consideration.
Really needs to be investigated to get to the bottom of things. But this also happens in private institutions, even without any foul play. Sometimes it's all a matter of timing, specifications, source and supply & demand dynamics. Prices can vary widely based on these factors. These aren't commodities and are not subject to standardized pricing. One has to delve into these details and not just toss it in the public arena with scarce details and lots of opportunity to spin any which way to influence the wary and poorly informed public.
Example: for RT PCR, European brands are much more expensive than its asian counterparts.
Also I think, overpricing means jacking up the original price by a large percentage and hindi yung maspinili mo yung mahal compared sa mura. There are parameters to adhere to, so Senator Ping should clarify this.
For the PPE, reliability and track record again comes into place. If may budget to buy better and more reliable equipment then buy the better one than the cheap one.
A tabular presentation would explain better if there are discrepancies in the purchasing process. We will see the specs and most especially the brand. For it to be clear.
With regards to the swab, there are differences in what we call "experience" after the procedure. For example, in phlebotomy, I prefer using Terumo(TM) than any other brand. It is known that terumo syringes are more expensive than other brands, but it may provide a more comfortable experience to the client. But then again, without the specs, we cannot say for sure.
The product that DOH/RITM bought is thermo fisher. Please search the reliability and track record of the brand. You will know bakit mahal siya. Even ang common centrifuge ng thermo fisher is expensive. Do side by side comparison ng specs.
They should have compared what brand are bought and which is more reliable. I myself is involved in medical devices trading and know the huge disparity between chinese vs US / European brands. Even do us biomedical techs / engineers prefer the US made.
I'm not a lawyer but i understand that in government procurement bidding is paramount...but, as i understand it too (and ready to be corrected), the new Bayanihan law gives the executive some leeway in procurement...this is going to be interesting...re: Duque, he should resign immediately and not give PRRD a black mark...
Indeed, there are certain issues that needs to be addressed. However, in relation to the visual presentation of senator lacson which is quite lacking in details, it might provide the wrong impression and cause unnecessary public outroar. Like everyone else, I am an advocate of fact based criticism than half-baked hate.
I think the point here is that, if the private sector who uses their own money chooses to buy the other brand which is cheaper (but definitely of high quality) then how come the Gov't whose funds are bleeding dry opt to buy an expensive one? and btw to allay fears of corruption why don't they itemized their purchases and show the summary of expenses for the people to see just like what the OVP is doing.
Ang mas importante po sana CURE.
Sana po kayo mag push din ng multiple INDEPENDENT testing of FABUNAN anti-viral - without government control.
Then do an inquiry if it is true that this option has been ignored since before the DENGVAXIA debacle that might have been averted by a "sariling-atin" Filipino product (reportedly with a U.S. patent).
Imbis na itest ay ipinasara daw sila - suspicious!
Let us not speculate anything before it was investigated and proven that those who procured these items had done it for the sake of corruption. We might me letting the devil sneak into our lives thereby making our lives vulnerable to his attacks. The truth will be shed to light. And even if they have erroneous actions, we are not suppose to throw any unpleasant words to them. Our duty is to pray for them and let the ax of God be on them if He wills it. But remember that anything that came out from our mouth is our responsibility before Him.
You know Senator Lacson? With all of your queries above that even we, a normal citizen of this government cannot even understand why. If you can't answer those many whys, how can we? We are just here listening and watching all of you lawmakers from the media. We do not know what to believe anymore. But with those accusations of yours, you need to prove and provide us the real and transparent reasons why. Politicking in times of pandemic is brutal as well as not giving a genuine service to the Filipino people. May you be guided accordingly Senator Lacson!
I agree that this is not the right time.
But if this is really true and government funds are being bled dry, then as a senator, we give you free reign to check as we have also the right to know why.
I understand their are also factors like quality, serviceability and others that need to be considered...
People might say that this is a blame game. But for me this is accountability. Whatever actions they do it is their responsibility and responsibility breeds accountability. So DOH please be accountable on all of these. This pandemic does not give you the license to take advantage of the situation to overpriced.
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
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