P130-M relief fund tapped to finance Ecija rehab center

MANILA, Philippines – With President Duterte complaining of the lack of funds to address the drug menace, the Department of Health (DOH) has tapped P130 million from the P500-million Quick Response Fund (QRF) to finance the operations of the Mega Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Center located at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija.

The budget would also be used to increase the capacity of at least 13 other government rehabilitation centers to accommodate drug addicts who need treatment.

Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial said one to two percent or 7,900 drug users out of the 790,000 that have surrendered under the administration’s Operation Plan Tokhang would be treated at the government rehabilitation centers. 

Some of the drug users would be recommended to take community-based programs or will be considered as outpatients, Ubial said, while those who have money would be advised to seek treatment in private rehabilitation centers.

In a press briefing yesterday at Malacañang, Ubial justified the use of QRF for drug rehabilitation, saying that the drug problem is a mental health problem and that it has become a “public health emergency.”

She said this justifies the DOH’s tapping its P500-million QRF allocations under the current fiscal year.

“That’s just part of the use of the fund (QRF). But the fund is actually used for any public health emergency and the surrenderers that we have now are considered a public health emergency,” she explained when informed the QRF is intended for disasters and typhoons.

Ubial explained that the magnitude of the drug problem has become so huge that it has been classified as an emergency.

“Yes. Yes. Because there is an increase in the number of cases, so it’s more or less considered a public health emergency. Increase in the number of cases for a particular disease,” she said.

Pressed further, Ubial assured the public that the DOH plan could not be considered as juggling of funds.

“No, it’s not,” she said of the move reminiscent of the misuse of the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) during the term of former president Benigno Aquino III that was struck down as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

A check by The STAR showed that under the special provisions of the DOH’s budget for 2016, the P510.5-million QRF of the agency “shall serve as stand-by fund for the rehabilitation and repair of health facilities, replacement of medical equipment and provision for emergency medical assistance, including pre-positioning of medical aid” to uplift the living conditions of people in communities or areas “stricken by calamities, epidemics, crises and catastrophes.”

The budget department has defined QRF as “built-in budgetary allocations that represent pre-disaster or standby funds for agencies in order to immediately assist areas stricken by catastrophes and crises.”

Unlike the Calamity Fund, the QRF does not require the recommendation of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council or approval of the Office of the President to trigger the use and release of funds.

President Duterte signed Executive No. 4 last week, which mandates the creation of an interagency task force for the building of drug treatment and rehabilitation facilities and the consolidation of efforts of the national and local governments in addressing the rehabilitation of drug dependents in the country.

 Technical malversation

Sought for comment, former Senate finance committee chairman Sen. Francis Escudero cautioned the DOH against charging their drug rehabilitation operations to the QRF appropriations under the current budget.

“While I am in complete agreement with the intended purpose of the expenditure, as per the special provisions of the 2016 GAA, such an expenditure cannot be charged against the QRF of the DOH,” he said.

Escudero recommended that the DOH seek the advise of the Commission on Audit (COA). 

“It’s best that they get clearance from the COA first. They should also have their lawyers revisit the decision of the SC re DAP to ensure that such move is in full accord with the law, and is not considered nor would it fall under technical malversation,” the senator added.

Escudero said he is supportive of the President’s campaign but he also found “unfortunate” Duterte’s limitation to work in his first six months of office on a budget not in consonance with his top priorities. “However, that is what our Constitution and the laws provide,” the senator added.

Escudero also urged Ubial to look into the P18.961-billion item allocated under the Health Facilities Program in the 2016 budget, which can cover rehab facilities. The DOH can tap it if there are still savings or unutilized funds under this item, he added.

Echoing the lament of Duterte, the health secretary noted that the DOH does not have budget allocations to address drug dependents.

“As of the moment, we don’t have the budget in our current budget. So we are actually using our Quick Response Fund, which is used for any eventuality or emergency or unplanned, unforeseen eventuality in the health sector,” Ubial said.

“So we’re using that and we have sub-allotted P130 million to the existing treatment and rehab centers so that they can expand to double their original capacity,” Ubial said.

In Region III, which has jurisdiction over the Mega Drug Rehab facility, Ubial said the agency has “sub-allotted around P15 million to hire new employees.”

“So, we’re looking at a possibility that by 2017, the budget will already be included in our General Appropriations Act,” she said. 

The DOH is seeking approval of an additional P1.9 billion in appropriations to finance the construction of rehabilitation centers in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.