MANILA, Philippines — Senator Richard Gordon on Wednesday denied that the Senate blue ribbon committee’s report on a 2019 investigation on the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation was a cover-up and an attempt at damage control in favor of President Rodrigo Duterte and his men at the agency.
The committee, chaired by Gordon, recently recommended the filing of criminal charges against former Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad, former Health Secretary Janette Garin, and former PhilHealth president and CEO Alexander Padilla for allegedly diverting P10.6-billion in PhilHealth funds in 2015. All the three accused have denied the allegation.
Senator Leila De Lima, however, said the report “reads like a cover-up and damage control for Mr. Duterte and his men in PhilHealth.”
“What can I expect from Senator De Lima? She is very bitter,” Gordon told ABS-CBN News Channel.
Gordon explained he wasn’t after anything from Duterte in releasing the report of the Senate committee.
“Wala naman akong hinihingi kay (I am not asking for anything from) President Duterte. I have not seen him for the last two or three years. Second, we have not talked. Third I have been very tough on him on the extra-judicial killings, and I am against the death penalty,” he said.
The senator then went on saying he is against several of Duterte’s stances on different issues, as well as the President’s statements containing expletives and attacks against the Catholic Church.
“Alam mo kayo, guilt by association, I don’t do that. I find guilt based on evidence. Kaya sinabi ko na ‘yung ebidensya ko doon kay Garin at tsaka kay (Abad),” he pointed out.
(You point out guilt by association, but I don’t do that. I find guilt based on evidence. That’s why I showed evidence against Garin and Abad.)
Abad earlier described Gordon’s allegation of fund diversion as an “absolute lie,” saying the release of the report is “maliciously timed to confuse the public and distract them from the real PhilHealth scandal.”
Garin, who was then concurrent ex-officio PhilHealth Board chairman, also denied the allegations and called the report a “joke” that contained “recycled and baseless” accusations.