Malacañang asked on Wednesday Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and the entire department to cooperate in the investigation being conducted by the Office of the Ombudsman over the alleged anomalies in the purchases of medical equipment amid the coronavirus disease pandemic.

In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the Palace respects the decision of Ombudsman Samuel Martires to order probe against Duque and other health officials.

"The Ombudsman, as we all know, is an independent constitutional body; thus we will let the process run its course as we enjoin Secretary Duque and the entire DOH bureaucracy to cooperate with the investigation and respect the orders of the OMB," he said.

Martires has created investigating teams to jointly probe the alleged irregularities and anomalies committed by the DOH officials and employees, including Duque, regarding the purchase of 100,000 test kits by the Department and the use of test kits developed by the University of the Philippines.

Also covered by the investigation were the delayed procurement of personal protective equipment and other medical gear for health workers and the release of benefits for health workers who got severely sick and those who died due to coronavirus.

Martires said few weeks before the Luzon-wide lockdown in March, his office had already started the probe but their investigators found difficulties in getting information from some DOH officials and personnel. Celerina Monte/DMS