Question snags bird flu fund allocation: Where did P5M SARS fund go?

Instead of the urgency required to prepare for a possible emergence of bird flu in Cebu, the city's preparations for the dreaded disease has hit a snag.

Councilor Gerardo Carillo had wanted the city council to appropriate P31 million for the city's countermeasures against bird flu but the failure to fully account for a previous outlay of more than P5 million for another disease has stalled his measure.

Three years ago, the city council approved the release of more than P5 million from the city's calamity fund, as well as from the city's share from Pagcor operations, to combat the threat of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome or SARS but only around P400,000 of the amount could be accounted for so far.

This prompted the city council to require the concerned parties to render a full accounting for fear the new appropriation for bird flu may also fail to be accounted for in the future.

Members of the city's then SARS crisis team were made to appear in yesterday's regular session but only up to a total of P400,000 could be accounted for.

Former city health officer and now Cebu City Medical Center consultant Felicitas Manaloto told the council that the SARS crisis team purchased 2,000 face masks worth P180,000, ten boxes of gloves worth P1,190 and various kinds of medicine amounting to P218,048 for a total of P399,239.

As it turned out, SARS spared Cebu City and the purchases were rendered unnecessary. The masks ended up being utilized by sanitary inspectors during fogging operations while the gloves were given to nurses and midwives assigned to the delivery room at CCMC and at health centers.

Nevertheless, of the 2,000 masks ordered by and delivered to the city government, only 200 reached the city health office, Manaloto said.

Gina Rosales of the city's General Services Office told the council that according to GSO chief Esther Cubero, the rest of the masks were brought to the Department of Health and Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation.

Dr. Laxmi Legaspi of the DOH, however, denied receiving anything from City Hall, insisting that her office used its own funds to prepare for the SARS threat.

Maureen Bien of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center issued a similar statement, saying the government hospital used its own funds for its own SARS preparations.

Rosales also showed the council a purchase order for 500 posters costing P14,000 for the city's then SARS information campaign.

When Vice Mayor Michael Rama, the presiding officer, asked if Manaloto or other members of the crisis team received the information materials, Manaloto said the city health department received some but not all.

Legaspi, on the other hand, said she never received any poster from the city because the DOH produced and used its own materials.

When Rama asked if the P5 million allocated by the council was used entirely by the crisis management team, city accountant Edna Jaca said she has yet to check her records.

Jaca, however, said she has learned that no charges have been made against the calamity fund in relation to the SARS preparations.

Aside from the original P5 million appropriation, the council also set aside an additional P500,000 for the SARS crisis team, intended for the purchase of other SARS prevention equipment and to be charged against Pagcor funds, as well as yet another amount of P376,000, also to be taken from the Pagcor fund and for the same purpose.