Sandiganbayan allows 2 DOH officials to testify in Duque, Lao graft case

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The Sandiganbayan on Monday allowed two Department of Health (DOH) officials to testify in the graft case against former Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and former Budget Undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao over the alleged illegal transfer of P41 billion in DOH funds to the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The anti-graft court’s First Division allowed Dawnavi Lacsado and Abegail Conchada, administrative officers of the DOH procurement unit, to take the witness stand despite the defense team’s motion to disqualify them.

The testimonies could help establish the officials’ respective roles in the DOH’s procurement operations and the work of the COVAC Secretariat during the pandemic.

Their accounts may also help clarify the extent of their involvement in procurement-related activities and the limits of their knowledge of the policy decisions at the center of the case.

Defense lawyers, however, argued that the officials’ testimonies would merely repeat those of other witnesses and violate the accused’s right to a speedy trial.

The prosecution maintained that the defense's urgent motion to disqualify the two officials had no factual or legal basis.

During cross-examination by the defense, Lacsado and Conchada confirmed that they were part of the COVID-19 Vaccination Plan (COVAC) Secretariat.

They, however, claimed they had no personal knowledge of policy-level decisions, such as whether the DOH should use its own procurement unit or the PS-DBM for its procurement requirements.

But when asked by the defense whether her role was limited to compiling procurement-related documents, Lacsado replied, “No.”

Conchada was also asked whether the COVAC teams operated with a skeletal or reduced workforce during the pandemic.

“The COVAC [teams] are all working,” she replied.

Conchada said the full team initially convened online during the pandemic, but the number of members required to attend each meeting was later reduced because of logistical challenges, including internet connectivity issues.

At the end of the hearing, the court granted the prosecution additional time to submit a compliance report explaining the purpose of presenting each of the 54 witnesses it had listed.

The prosecution also said it would submit the judicial affidavits of the witnesses it intends to present five days before the next hearing, scheduled for Nov. 9.

Duque and Lao are currently out on bail.

The succeeding hearings in the graft case are scheduled for Nov. 23 and Jan. 28, 2027.— MCG, GMA News

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