‘PhilHealth probe must result in charges’
Go wants corrupt agency officials fired
MALACAÑANG IS confident THAT THE investigation launched by the Presidential Anti- Corruption Commission (PACC) into alleged widespread corruption at the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) will result in cases BEING filed IN COURT.
Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. made the statement after the PACC said IT FOUND LOOPHOLES AND SYSTEMIC flaws in PhilHealth that allowed insurance fraud to fester in the agency charged with managing the country’s universal health care system.
“There are now three investigations and the PACC fortunately appeared to HAVE finished THEIRS, AND WE’RE HOPING THAT THIS WILL LEAD IN FACT TO THE filing OF cases,” Roque said in an interview with CNN Philippines.
Over the weekend, PACC Commissioner Greco Belgica said the commission would submit to President Rodrigo Duterte next week a partial report on its
investigation.
We’ve identified officials who may be involved and positions that are vulnerable for these kinds of corruption,” Belgica said.
Aside from the PACC, the House of Representatives and the Senate have launched their own inquiries.
The Presidential Management Staff and the Office of the Special Assistant to the President are also doing a joint investigation into PhilHealth irregularities.
During the Senate hearing, PhilHealth President Ricardo Morales said about P10.2 billion from PhilHealth’s budget was “potentially lost” to fraudulent transactions and schemes in 2019.
He said the loss could be as high as P18 billion by next year if not acted on.
The President ordered an investigation after some PhilHealth officials squabbled over the “overpriced” procurement of an information technology ( IT) system.
Morales defended the IT project, saying it would help PhilHealth stop fraud.
He also denied coddling a syndicate thriving in the agency that allegedly pocketed P15 billions of PhilHealth funds last year.
PhilHealth has been under fire in recent weeks after its former anti-fraud legal officer Thorrsson Montes Keith resigned over corruption in the agency.
Keith claimed a “mafia” runs various fraudulent schemes, including the IT deal.
Roque said Keith’s claim might be true, since he found it worrying that the head of the state insurance firm could not stop illegal acts during his watch.
During a hearing of the Senate, Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, chairman of the Senate health and demography committee, demanded the removal of corrupt PhilHealth officials.
“Paano ninyomagagamot mga pasyente kung sarili ninyong ahensya‘di n’yo magamot? Kailangan talaga ‘yang mga korap tanggalin na talaga ( How can you cure the patients when you cannot cure [ problems] in your own agency? There’s really a need to fire the corrupt),” Go said.
He asked the Ombudsman to look more deeply into the matter. “We need to know who those behind this mess are, if there is a mafia, who are these people,” Go said.
He vowed that individuals who would be proven guilty of corruption would be held responsible.
Go said he would continue to fight for additional funds needed to the implementation of the Universal Health Care Law if PhilHealth could cleanse its ranks and rid the agency of corruption.
Another senator, Ana Theresia “Risa” Hontiveros, urged the Department of Health ( DoH) and PhilHealth to convene an anti-overpricing body to stop corruption at the state insurer.
Hontiveros made the proposal on Wednesday to ensure greater transparency and cut down fraud in PhilHealth’s operations.