Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go on Tuesday reiterated his commitment to ensure that government funds are used properly to provide better access to quality healthcare for all Filipinos, especially indigents.

During the Department of Health (DoH) budget hearing, the senator sought clarifications from the DOH on its medicine procurement process after Health Secretary Francisco Duque III revealed that some of their medicine stocks, such as metformin, will expire before the year ends.

The executive department proposed a 2020 budget of P160.15 billion, five percent less than its budget for the current year.

Go further expressed his concern during the hearing, stating that while many Filipinos in need of assistance queue up outside the Senate building every day, undistributed medicines languish in DoH warehouses.

The senator also urged DoH to maximize the use of drug rehabilitation centers after it was found during the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency’s (PDEA) own budget hearing that these centers remain to be underutilized.