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| PhilHealth executives deny wrongdoing during Senate investigation |
President
Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the Department of Justice to form a panel to
investigate allegations of massive corruption in the Philippine Health
Insurance Corp and submit its findings and recommendations to his office within
a month.
The move
was welcomed by leaders of Filipino migrant workers in Hong
Kong who have been clamoring for the scrapping of mandatory
contribution to PhilHealth but expressed caution, saying an independent body
should conduct the probe.
In a
memorandum to Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra today, Aug 7, Duterte also
ordered the department to audit PhilHealth finances and conduct a lifestyle
check on its officials and employees.
The DOJ was
also given power to require other government agencies, including constitutional
commissions, to be members of the panel that will investigate the alleged
multi-billion anomaly in the state health insurance, or to help in its
work.
“During
the course of the investigation, if warranted, the panel may recommend to the
president the imposition of preventive suspension on any PhilHealth official to
ensure the unhampered conduct of the investigation,” Duterte said.
Eman Villanueva, chairman of Bayan Hong Kong & Macau,
cast doubt on what the proposed investigation would accomplish, saying that
Duterte may just be trying to show the people that he is acting on the
controversy.
“Tingnan natin kung
kaya niyang papanagutin ang heneral na appointed niya sa tuktok ng PhilHealth.
Puro kasi imbestigasyon. Wala namang napaparusahan. Ito naman ang kalakaran
under Duterte,” Villanueva said.
(Let’s see if he can hold accountable the general whom he
had appointed to head PhilHealth. It’s all investigation. But no one gets
punished. That’s how Duterte does things.)
“Pinasasakay lang ang
taumbayan na akala mo may ginagawa [siya]. Pero lahat ng mga opisyal na
appointed ni Duterte na nasangkot sa droga, korupsyon at iba pang krimen ay
nag-resign lang, tapos na-recycle din later. Naa-appoint ulit sa ibang
departamento. Malamang ganun din ang kahihinatnan niya.”
(He only makes people believe that he’s doing something. But
all of the Duterte-appointed officials who were involved in drugs, corruption
and other crimes only resigned and were recycled later. They were reappointed
to other departments. It’s likely this issue will have a similar conclusion.)
Besides, Villanueva said, Duterte had certified as urgent
the Universal Healthcare Law, which made OFW membership in PhilHealth mandatory
and raised the premium rate by 10 times.
“Ngayon, lumalabas eh
pantapal pala sa ninanakaw na pondo ng PhilHealth at OFWs ang kukuhanan,”
he said.
(So, now it appears they will use OFW money to cover up
their theft of PhilHealth funds)
Dolores
Balladares, chairperson of United Filipinos in Hong Kong ,
said it was just right to investigate the corruption in PhilHealth.
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| Balladares during a protest against mandatory PhilHealth contribution: there should be impartial inquiry |
“But I
don’t think na yung mga tao na itinalaga niya [Duterte] ang dapat
mag-imbestiga. Mga taong gobyerno din sila,” said Balladares.
“Isang independent body ang kailangan para
maging malinis ang imbestigasyon. Parusahan ang mga opisyal at iba pang sangkot
sa korupsyon sa PhilHealth.”
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(But I
don’t think Duterte’s appointees should do the investigation. They are also
with the government. An independent body should conduct the investigation so it
is above-board. All officials and other people involved in the corruption in
PhilHealth should be punished).
She said
PhilHealth president and chief executive Ricardo Morales should also be
suspended while being investigated because the anomaly happened under his
watch.
“Dapat
managot din siya,” Balladares said, adding that Duterte should also be held to
account for coddling Morales despite the long-standing allegations of corruption
and misdeed against the government agency.
Whistleblower and former anti-fraud legal officer Thorrson
Montes Keith told a Senate panel hearing on Aug 4 that a “mafia” involving the PhilHealth
executive committee had stolen some Php15 billion from the agency by fraudulent
means.
He had earlier alleged “widespread corruption” in the agency
in his resignation letter dated Jul 23. He also cited his opposition to OFWs’
mandatory contributions, unfairness in the promotion process, and failure to
receive his salary and hazard pay on time since he began investigating PhilHealth
officers.
Senate Resolution
No. 475 filed by Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Sen.
Panfilo Lacson and other colleagues on Jul 27 to convene the Senate Committee
of the Whole cited the alleged corrupt deeds.
The resolution cited the undue overpayments to healthcare
institutions under the All Case Rates scheme, the alleged P154-billion
scam involving “ghost” patients of WellMed Dialysis & Laboratory Center
Corp; conflict of interest in PhilHealth’s lease of a building owned by the
family of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.
In addition, a Mar 15, 2020 letter of PhilHealth board
member Alejandro Cabading to Duterte said major discrepancies involving PhilHealth’s
IT sector projects were discovered.
Cabading referred to an internal audit report showing P734
million worth of technology resources were included in PhilHealth’s budget
proposal for 2020 despite the lack of approval by the Department of Information
and Communications Technology. Testifying at the Senate hearing, he said Morales
had indeed approved the purchases.
The audit report also revealed P98.05 million in overpriced
items and P132.2 million worth of items that were subjected to splitting of
contracts to avoid holding a public bidding.
