Lacson: Senators face ‘awkward’ dilemma on clashing PhilHealth probe reports

MANILA, Philippines — Senators may be placed in a “very awkward” situation if clashing reports from two separate committees of the Senate on the alleged corruption within the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) will be sent out on the plenary floor, Senator Panfilo Lacson said.

“The Senate will be put in a very awkward situation. Na nandidito yung Senate committee of the whole na iba yung anggulo, iba yung teorya na talagang directly bashing with the Senate blue ribbon committee findings,” Lacson told reporters in an interview on Wednesday.

(That there is the Senate committee of the whole with a different angle and theory, which directly bashing with the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee findings.)

Senator Richard Gordon, chair of the Senate blue ribbon committee, recently came out with his report containing the findings of his panel’s 2019 investigation into the alleged fraud and corruption within PhilHealth.

This is separate from the investigation conducted by the Senate committee of the whole in August this year into fresh allegations of corruption in the state insurer.

The Senate committee of the whole, led by Senate President Vicente Sotto III, is set to release its report next week.

In presenting his report to the media on Tuesday, Gordon pointed to the regional executives of PhilHealth as members of the “mafia” allegedly perpetrating fraudulent activities in the agency.

But Gordon’s findings contradicted the testimonies of PhilHealth board member Alejandro Cabading and resigned anti-fraud legal officer Thorrsson Montes Keith, who told the recent probe of the Senate committee of the whole that the PhilHealth executive committee members operated like a syndicate.

Both Cabading and Keith told senators that the regional vice presidents tagged as the “Mindanao group” were actually the “good guys.”

According to Lacson, Gordon’s report would still need the signature of the majority of the members of the blue ribbon committee before it can be reported out on the Senate floor.

“Magiging awkward. So I think we’ll have to discuss it in caucus no bago maglabas—after all kami din naman ang magdedecide, kaming mga miyembro kung ano ang committee report na aming pipirmahan,” he said.

(It will be awkward. So I think we’ll have to discuss it in caucus before coming out [with the report]–after all we will have to decide for ourselves, we the members will choose what committee report to sign.)

“E kung magkakontra yung dalawang committee reports [But if the two committee reports are contradicting with each other], I cannot see how a senator would sign both,” he added.

Lacson, a member of the Gordon-led panel, said most likely he would only affix his signature to the report being prepared by the committee of the whole.

“Kung mako-confront ako ng dalawang committee report na nagka-clash e pipili ako kung ano ang aking pipirmahan. And as of now, hands down choice ko na ang pipirmahan ko ay yung Committee of the Whole na committee report,” the senator said.

(If I would be confronted with two committee reports that are clashing, I will choose one that I would sign. And as of now, my hands down choice that I would sign is the committee of the whole report.)

A year after

Gordon’s report came a year after his committee conducted its inquiry into the alleged fraud in PhilHealth.

He earlier told reporters that it took him a long time to come out with the report due to other issues that needed to be investigated by his committee.

These include his committee’s long hearings on the controversial Good Conduct and Time Allowance (GCTA) law as well as the issue on money laundering allegedly linked to Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos).

Asked if the timing of the release of Gordon’s report was questionable, Lacson said he was not in the position to “cast aspersion” on the blue ribbon committee chair.

“Si Senator Gordon, napaka-passionate din niyan e. Pag meron siyang gusto i-point out talagang ilalabas niya yan. So let’s leave it at that,” Lacson said.

(Senator Gordon, he’s also very passionate. If ever he wants to point out something, he really puts it out there. So let’s leave it at that.)

JPV