PhilHealth chief mired in travel, leadership issues fired – Palace

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed Roy Ferrer as acting chief of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, replacing Celestina Ma. Jude Dela Serna who was embroiled in allegations of excessive travels and bad leadership.

In a letter dated June 1 to the board of directors of PhilHealth, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said that the president approved Ferrer's nomination as acting president and chief executive officer of the government agency.

Ferrer is replacing Dela Serna who is facing questions over her costly travels amid the P8-billion loss PhilHealth suffered last year, higher than the P251.5 million incurred in 2016.

Based on a Commission on Audit observation memorandum released in April, Dela Serna's travel expenses to and from Bohol reached P627,000.

Dela Serna meanwhile defended her travels and said that these were authorized. She also explained that she had to stay in hotels because PhilHealth did not have a service apartment.

The sacked PhilHealth chief also expressed readiness to explain the issue to the president in person.

“Travels between Manila and Tagbilaran City where I am domiciled as well as the stays in no more than three modest accommodations in Metro Manila are not irregular,” she said in a media conference in May.

“There were several issuances that are supportive of these disbursements and payments and even cognizant of my situation as an interim/OIC president and chief executive officer of an agency that is based in Pasig here in Metro Manila and my actual place of residence or domicile which is in Bohol,” she added.

Ranking officials blamed Dela Serna for the PhilHealth's woes, saying that the agency had been “spiraling out of control” under her leadership. In a statement in May, PhilHealth's regional vice presidents described Dela Serna as a ticking time bomb who was doing “irreversible and irreparable damage to the NHIP.”

“The regional vice presidents and even the rank and file (employees) are confused and demoralized because of what's happening in PhilHealth. There is now a lack of leadership, direction and targets,” they said in a statement last month.