Sotto, Lacson seek probe into alleged PhilHealth irregularities

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Senator Panfilo Lacson on Monday officially sought a Senate investigation into the alleged “rampant corruption, incompetence, inefficiency” within the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) amid the coronavirus disease2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Sotto and Lacson formally called for an inquiry of the Senate Committee of the Whole through Senate Resolution 475 following a controversial virtual meeting among PhilHealth officials last week.

The said meeting between PhilHealth president Ricardo Morales and his officials as well as some Cabinet secretaries saw some heated exchanges over the IT system and led to at least one PhilHealth official turning in his resignation letter.

“These rampant and pervasive allegations of corruption, incompetence and inefficiency have systematically impaired the management of PhilHealth to the detriment of this public institution and its members, without any remedial measures to improve competency and exact accountability, thereby endangering PhilHealth’s existence, necessitating the Senate’s intervention to prevent the corporation’s financial collapse,” the resolution read.

Morales earlier said lawyer Thorrsson Montes Keith, who had resigned due to alleged “widespread corruption” in the agency, was only “vengeful” after supposedly being denied a promotion.

Duterte has already ordered an investigation into alleged irregularities within PhilHealth.

Sotto and Lacson’s resolution also focused on three “major issues” within PhilHealth—the implementation of the interim reimbursement mechanism, the information and communication technology equipment worth P734 million flagged by the Commission on Audit, and the alleged manipulation of its financial status.

PhilHealth has since said it has “nothing to hide” and that it is ready to respond to the corruption allegations linked to the agency.

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