MANILA — Former Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has posted bail in connection with charges of violating the anti-graft law, similar to former Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao.
Duque informed ABS-CBN News that he posted bail on September 4, “immediately after finding out about the filing of the case before the Sandiganbayan.” He also stated, “I will be pursuing remedies available to me to question the resolution of the Ombudsman, not only in the Sanganbayan, but also with the Supreme Court.”
Both Duque and Lao were investigated for alleged irregularities related to the Department of Health’s (DOH) transfer of P41 billion to the Procurement Service of the DBM (PS-DBM) for purchasing critical COVID-19 supplies during the early stages of the pandemic.
Duque clarified that enlisting the services of the PS-DBM for procuring essential medical supplies, such as face shields and masks, was necessary given the health emergency faced by the country at that time.
The former health secretary chose not to comment on Lao’s recent arrest. Lao was apprehended by authorities on Wednesday morning while on his way to post bail. He was briefly detained at the CIDG Regional Forensic Unit 11 in Davao City but was released after posting bail amounting to P90,000.