UMVA has learned that a Senate resolution has been filed to launch a sweeping inquiry into more than P39.28 billion worth of medicines that expired between 2015 and 2024.
The resolution, spearheaded by Senator Rafael T. Tulfo, shines a harsh light on a paradox gripping the nation: families drowning in out‑of‑pocket healthcare costs while a mountain of unused drugs sits idle in government warehouses.
From 2015 to 2018 alone, the loss ballooned to P18.5 billion, followed by P2.2 billion in 2019. The decay continued with P95 million in 2020, P85 million in 2021, a staggering P7.4 billion in 2022, P11.18 billion in 2023, and P134 million already recorded for 2024.
Senator Tulfo’s filing on May 25 demands a full accounting of the officials responsible for this wastage, accusing the Department of Health of chronic overstocking and failure to distribute life‑saving supplies to those who need them most.
He warned that essential medicines for diabetes, hypertension, and other chronic conditions are languishing on shelves, while countless Filipinos remain deprived of free, government‑funded treatment.
Recent findings by the Commission on Audit have already flagged P217 million worth of expired drugs in the health department, and warn that by December 2025 another P476.5 million will reach the same fate.
Even before this latest move, the Senate’s Finance Committee chair had condemned the Department of Health’s mismanagement, calling the loss of public funds “alarming and deeply troubling” amid a national health crisis.
The inquiry promises to peel back layers of bureaucracy, pinpoint where procurement went awry, and demand that the squandered billions be redirected toward genuine patient care.
