The Medical City in Pasig denied Thursday the reports circulating online that agents from Offices of the Civil Defense (OCD) raided the hospital and confiscated the protective gears donated for their medical frontliners fighting COVID-19.
The Office of the Civil Defense also refuted the rumors that some police conducted a raid to some private hospitals and took their personal protective equipment so it would be repackaged and re-distributed to other medical centers.
“Fake news po ‘yan (That’s fake news),” OCD Spokesperson Mark Timbal said in a statement.
The Medical City in Ortigas, Pasig, also refuted the rumor. “There are news circulating that a raid of PPEs occurred on our premises on April 1.”
“We deny this and encourage everyone to be careful in spreading unverified information,” it said on Facebook.
Rustico Jimenez, the President of the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines, did not receive any reports of alleged PPE raids.
OCD raid, confiscation of protective gears not true
The social media posts claimed the supplies would be allocated to Malasakit Centers under Senator Bong Go. It said Go would use the opportunity to build his plans and campaign to run for the 2022 Presidential election.
Bong Go denied the allegations and clarified he has nothing to do with the management and distribution of COVID-19 donations.
“Claims circulating that I am involved in handling donations intended for the government are utterly false, deliberate disinformation, and black propaganda,” Senator Bong Go said in a statement released on Wednesday night.
“Nais ko po klaruhin na wala po akong kinalaman sa operasyon at mandato ng OCD (Office of Civil Defense). Wala rin pong kinalaman ang opisina ko sa distribution ng government resources,” he added.
(I would like to clarify that I have nothing to do with the operation and mandate of the OCD (Office of Civil Defense). My office has nothing to do with the distribution of government resources.)
President Rodrigo Duterte signed Administrative Order no 27 Tuesday night, giving the Office of Civil Defense the authority to manage and allocate the distribution of donations intended for fighting COVID-19 in the country.
Under the Administrative Order, OCD shall submit a weekly report to the President through the Executive Secretary on the actions taken regarding management, consolidation, and distribution of COVID-19 donations.