Drilon sees overprice in gov't testing kits. Inquirer Newsletter. September 15, 2020

No images? Click here   INSEPARABLE A mother and her child take the LRT, which has been partitioned with tapes and plastic sheets in keeping with the physical distancing now being observed in public transportation, amid the continuing threat of the COVID-19 pandemic. MARIANNE BERMUDEZ     World Daily global virus cases hit 307,000 The World Health Organization (WHO) reported a record one-day increase in global coronavirus cases on Sunday, with the total rising by 307,930 in 24 hours. The biggest increases were from India, the United States and Brazil. —STORY BY REUTERS AND AFP Read more: bit.ly/inquirer-plus   News  US scientists raise La Niña alert US climate scientists have raised the La Niña alert, bringing hope of rains coming to replenish the stock in Angat Dam and saving Metro Manila from a water crisis. La Niña is a weather phenomenon that causes very dry conditions in the eastern Pacific—the western coast of the Americas—but very wet conditions in the west. —STORY BY Ronnel W. Domingo Read more: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1335360/us-scientists-raise-la-nina-alert   Lifestyle Wellness The things that make us feel safe I first encountered Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in Psychology 101, a mandatory class you sit through in college. It was a simple pyramid: basic needs such as food, shelter and clothing in the first layer; safety in the second; belonging and self-esteem in the third; prestige and accomplishment in the fourth; and self-actualization at the top... —STORY BY Rey Bolivar Read more: https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/370777/the-things-that-make-us-feel-safe/   Newsletter / Join us Has this been forwarded by a friend? Subscribe now to the Philippine Daily Inquirer Newsletter and get your latest news and important updates on COVID-19 and the enhanced community quarantine. Subscribe   FULL mechanics     Banner story Drilon sees overprice in gov't testing kits By Leila B. Salaverria Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Monday questioned the government’s procurement of allegedly overpriced testing kits and medical equipment for COVID-19, saying the items were more than P400 million more expensive than those bought by the private sector. Drilon raised the issue at the 2021 budget hearing and asked the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to look closely at three contracts awarded by its Procurement Service (PS) and by the Department of Health (DOH). "There are a number of procurements done by the DBM-PS and based on our research, the prices were higher compared to the prices in the private sector,” he said in a separate statement. Taxpayer money “From the three awards that we have studied alone, we could estimate that the total price was jacked up by almost half a billion. We could have saved around P422 million in taxpayer money if we exercised due diligence,” he added. One of the questioned transactions was the procurement of P688 million worth of testing kits from Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. that were allegedly overpriced by P208 million. The DBM-PS bought 2,000 kits from Pharmally at P344,000 each, with each kit capable of conducting around 200 tests. But Drilon said the kit could be bought for P240,000 each. —WITH A REPORT FROM BEN O. DE VERA INQ Read more: newsinfo.inquirer.net   Editorial Unhealthy budget For all its moist-eyed rhetoric about fighting the pandemic and shoring up the country's health care system, the Department of Budget and Management has in fact allotted a lower budget for the Department of Health, the agency at the forefront of fighting COVID-19 while still keeping tabs on other communicable diseases and public health issues. Read full story: opinion.inquirer.net   Copyright © 2020 PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: P.O. Box 2353, Makati Central Post Office, 1263 Makati City, Philippines.   Share    Tweet    Share    Forward  Preferences  |  Unsubscribe