MANILA, Philippines — An official of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) was arrested on Monday night in Pasig City over a supposed cyber libel case filed against him.
Information from the Pasig City Police Station said that the arrest order against PhilHealth spokesperson Rey Balena was served by its warrant and subpoena section at his residence near Shaw Boulevard.
According to Pasig City Police, the warrant was released by Cebu Metropolitan Trial Court Presiding Judge Ramon Daomilas Jr. It is unclear, however, what specific incident this cyber libel charge stemmed from.
As of now, Balena remains under the Pasig City Police’s custody while awaiting orders from the court.
As PhilHealth spokesperson, Balena spoke 0n behalf of the state health insurer as it is being rocked by widespread corruption allegations. Last Friday, Balena assured that PhilHealth officials with a Salary Grade of 26 and above would resign as a courtesy to the new management.