Senator Panfilo Lacson. File photo / Senate PRIB
MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte “virtually” cleared Health Secretary Francisco Duque III of any wrongdoing in alleged anomalies in the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) after the former still refused to let go of his appointed health chief, Senator Panfilo Lacson said.
“With his appointed chief investigator to his right and one of those being accused in the PhilHealth mess to his left, he cleared the accused of any wrongdoing. End of story,” Lacson said in a tweet Tuesday.
The “investigator” he was referring to is Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, who is leading a high-level task force investigation into the alleged corruption in the state insurer.
During his public address to the nation, Duterte said it was not yet time for Duque to resign amid fresh calls for him to step down following allegations linking him to the supposedly questionable release of PhilHealth funds through the agency’s Interim Reimbursement Mechanism (IRM).
In the same address, Guevarra said the DOJ-led task force will submit early next week to the President its suggestions, including possible cases against PhilHealth officials allegedly involved in the corruption scandal mess that broke out last July.
Asked if he thinks the President’s pronouncement expressing continued trust for Duque could affect the investigation of the task force, Lacson told INQUIRER.net in a text message: “I certainly hope not.”
“I would like to think that Sec Guevarra’s known probity and strong adherence to the rule of law will prevail over partisanship and other political or personal considerations,” he added.
Lacson, however, clarified that he is not prejudging Duque’s criminal liability based on the Senate hearings alone.
Still, the senator pointed to the health secretary’s alleged conflict of interest in allowing his family-owned corporation to “directly transact business with PhilHealth and DOH (Department of Health) by leasing their property and supplying pharmaceutical products to the agencies which he heads.”
Lacson was referring to the Duque family-owned company’s contract to lease their building in Dagupan City, Pangasinan province, to house PhilHealth’s Ilocos regional office.
As health secretary, Duque serves as ex-officio chair of PhilHealth, an agency attached to the Department of Health.
Several government contracts from the DOH with a pharmaceutical company owned by Duque’s family also came into light last year.
Lacson said this “was unarguably enough reason for a decent public official to tender his resignation, or for an appointing authority to take the most proper action.”
“Only in the Philippines!” he added.
But Duque has since denied any impropriety and maintained that he divested all his interests in their companies when he assumed office in October 2017.
Raps vs Duque
Last week, the Senate Committee of the Whole recommended the filing of malversation and graft charges against Duque and several other officials over the “illegal” release of IRM funds.
The Senate panel also called on Duterte to replace Duque and appoint a new health secretary “who has a stronger will to fight corruption.”
Duque has earlier dismissed the Senate committee report as “baseless findings.”
According to Lacson, the executive department is not bound by the findings of the Senate “regardless of individual alliances of the majority of its members with the President.”
“While the just adopted Committee of the Whole report contains recommendations involving the filing of charges against several PhilHealth officials including its chairman who is Secretary Duque, it bears watching how the DOJ-led task force will treat those findings and recommendations now that the President has virtually cleared Duque of any wrongdoing,” the senator added.