MANILA, Philippines — Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) president and CEO Ricardo Morales denied being the “coddler” of fraudulent schemes in the agency after Senator Grace Poe confronted him about his supposed lack of anti-corruption efforts.
During the Senate committee of the whole investigation into allegations of corruption in the state-controlled insurer, Poe asked Morales about efforts he is undertaking to cleanse the agency of corruption since his appointment in July last year.
Morales tried to refer Poe’s question to PhilHealth’s Senior Vice President of Legal Sector Rodolfo del Rosario but the senator insisted that the PhilHealth chief answer her himself.
“I review the cases that are being filed. I look at the cases and I follow them up. Some of the cases have been going on for many years and I investigated reports of discrepancies inside the organization,” Morales said in response.
He also requested an executive session with senators to discuss the anti-fraud efforts he tried to initiate as the head of the agency.
At this point, Poe inquired how many PhilHealth officials Morales had so far axed due to corruption. Morales said there was none.
“Sa isang taon na tinagal ninyo diyan wala pa rin kayong nakikita dun sa ni-review na ninyo?” Poe asked.
She then asked Morales to clarify “strong allegations” that he is the “coddler” of corrupt officials in the agency.
But Morales denied such claims.
“I deny that I am the coddler of the wrongdoers in PhilHealth,” he said.
“And I manifested earlier if I could have an executive session to be able to explain my side,” he added.
PhilHealth ‘mafia’
Earlier in the Senate hearing, recently resigned PhilHealth anti-fraud legal officer Thorrsson Montes Keith claimed that a mafia-like syndicate has pocketed a total of P15 billion in the agency’s funds through various schemes.
Keith alleged that the “mafia” has deep roots within the agency and is composed of PhilHealth executive committee members. [ac]