Palace: PhilHealth’s ‘overpriced’ IT system under investigation

MANILA, Philippines – Several Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) officials are currently under investigation for the allegedly overpriced purchase of an IT system worth over P2 billion, Malacañang bared Friday.

Photo from Radyo Inquirer

Roque, in an interview on GMA’s Unang Hirit,  said private board members of the state health insurance agency opposed the purchase of an IT system with a component worth over P730,000 that has yet to get approval from the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

“Ito’y isang transaksyon lamang na mahigit P2 billion at alam ko talagang hindi magkasundo ang management at ang private board members, ito po ‘yung mga hindi ex-officio members. Mga government secretaries po ‘yung ex-officio members,” Roque said.

“Ako naman po nirefer ko talaga yan for investigation at ngayon po iniimbestigahan ng Office of the…yung (Office of the Special Assistant to the President). Yung posisyon po dati ni Sen. Bong Go, yan po ang opisinang nagiimbestiga ngayon at saka ang Presidential Management Staff,” he added.

(I referred the matter the Office of the Special Assistant to the President which is conducting an investigation, together with the Presidential Management Staff.)

Roque also confirmed that PhilHealth’s anti-fraud legal officer Thorrsson Montes Keith was among those who recently resigned from the agency due to “widespread corruption”.

He then urged Keith to coordinate with the investigation of the Office of the President.

Roque, who in February filed a graft complaint against some PhilHealth officials for their alleged inaction on a scam involving the issuance of fake premium receipts to overseas Filipino workers,   said he believes that there is  “systematic corruption” within PhilHealth.

“Ako ang aking kongklusyon talaga ay may sindikato talaga at ito ay ‘yung pinakamatataas na career executives diyan sa PhilHealth [ang involved]. Hindi naman po lahat, hindi natin nilalahat pero ang talagang matitindi po diyan ay yung mataas ang katungkulan dahil sila ang bumubo ng policy ng Philhealth ,” he said.

PhilHealth has been rocked by various corruption issues, including a scandal that broke apart last June 2019 where some officials supposedly created a ghost dialysis treatment scheme.

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