International public health policy experts called for a deeper investigation on the receipt of funds by the Philippines Food and Drug Administration from the anti-tobacco Bloomberg foundation to determine whether it violated both Philippine and United States laws.
Dr. Joel Nitzkin, a US physician who was cross-trained in public administration, cited the need to shed light on the filing of a resolution by two Filipino congressmen last month calling for a congressional probe on the Philippines FDA’s acceptance of foreign funding from Bloomberg in possible breach of the 1987 Constitution and several laws.
Prof. David John Nutt of Imperial College of London, who chairs Drug Science, said it would be interesting to review the Philippines FDA case to determine whether it violated any US charity regulations, particularly if it illicitly interfered in the governance of another state.
“We need to know how much money has been donated, both in dollars and as a percentage of the FDA budget. In addition, we need articulation from both donor and recipient ends as to the intended purpose of this donation. If this is as illicit as it appears to be, the next step would be to challenge this in the Philippine courts, and possibly in American courts,” said Nitzkin.
Manila Standard – January 20, 2021.
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