Philippine health ministry says no corruption in $1.3 billion pandemic funds

FILE PHOTO: Philippine Health Secretary Francisco Duque holds a flowchart for the COVID-19 vaccine simulation during a press briefing at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Muntinlupa, Metro Manila, Philippines, February 9, 2021. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez/File Photo

MANILA (Reuters) -The Philippine health minister, facing questions over more than $1 billion in COVID-19 spending, denied on Saturday that any money was "stolen", as his department vowed to account for every peso.

The country is battling one of Asia's worst coronavirus outbreaks, and the spread of the virulent Delta variant is overwhelming hospitals and healthcare workers https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/philippines-extends-travel-ban-10-countries-over-delta-concerns-2021-08-13, some of which have warned of mass resignations over unpaid allowances.