Pdut ‘won’t help’ Philhealth mafia

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has no plan of protecting the eight people who are allegedly part of the “mafia” within the state-run Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), Malacañang said on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019.

Included in the “mafia” is the PhilHealth Central Visayas vice president William Chavez.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo made the reidents mark after the names of supposed members of the PhilHealth “mafia” were revealed on Wednesday, Aug. 14, during the Senate blue ribbon committee investigation on the anomalies hounding the state health insurance agency.

“Definitely, yes,” Panelo told Palace reporters, when asked if the President would not protect the alleged “mafia” members identified by a former PhilHealth board member.

“Si Presidente pa, naku (The President), of all people, he will never allow or tolerate any irregularity or corruption in this government, regardless of any relationship to him .... whether or not those people are allied with him politically,” Panelo added.

During the Senate inquiry, former PhilHealth board member Roberto Salvador identified “mafia” members as regional vice presbeside Khaliquzzaman Macabato (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao), Masiding Alonto Jr. (Northern Mindanao), Paolo Johan Perez (Mimaropa), Jelbert Galicto (Caraga) and Chavez.

SunStar Cebu reached out to Chavez for his comment but he declined.

Salvador also dragged PhilHealth assistant corporate secretary Valerie Anne Hollero and former regional vice president Miriam Grace Pamonag (Central Mindanao) into the controversy.

Salvador and former PhilHealth president Roy Ferrer claimed that the mafia was behind the bleeding of the agency’s multibillion-peso funds in the past several years through various fraud schemes like overpayments and “ghost” claims.

Duterte was informed about the group during a meeting held last June, said Panelo. Last June, Duterte overhauled the PhilHealth, following allegations that the state-run corporation granted benefit claims to nonexistent patients of accredited health provider WellMed Dialysis and Laboratory Center in Novaliches, Quezon City. The President asked Ferrer and former PhilHealth board members to file their courtesy resignation, following the “ghost” kidney dialysis treatments scandal.

Panelo clarified that the names of the alleged mafiosi were not mentioned during Duterte’s previous meeting with PhilHealth officials.

He, nevertheless, said the President would take appropriate actions, once the results of the ongoing investigation on alleged irregularities in the PhilHealth are released.

“That was mentioned in passing. Definitely, no names were mentioned. Definitely none. What was mentioned was that there were people who were his (Ferrer) enemies,” Panelo said. /