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Review of COVID-19 vaccines purchase contracts sought: Sen. Francis "Chiz" G. Escudero asks the Commission on Audit, Tuesday, November 15, 2022, how the agency audited government contracts related to the country’s purchase of COVID-19 vaccines in years 2020 and 2021, which, according to news reports, were worth P300 billion. During the plenary deliberation on COA's proposed P13.16 billion budget for 2023, Escudero said that there was no official report on how much the government spent for COVID-19 vaccines because specifics, including the price per vaccine and quantity purchased, have been bound in non-disclosure agreements (NDA) by the government and its suppliers. "The previous government has been citing non-disclosure agreements so as not to say anything about the procurement of vaccines. How did COA treat that expenditure both of moneys coming from appropriations of Congress and borrowings?" Escudero asked. State auditors said that they only audited the inventory and the utilization of the purchased vaccines because they felt “restrained” by the NDAs contained in the purchase documents. Escudero said that the most important function of the agency is to assure that public funds were spent legally and to ensure public accountability and transparency, as mandated by the Constitution. (Bibo Nueva España/Senate PRIB)