MANILA, Philippines — He may not have stolen any money but there was negligence, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said after President Rodrigo Duterte once again defended Health Secretary Francisco Duque III over the PhilHealth fund mess.
“That’s the opinion of the President. As far as the committee report or the findings of the Senate is concerned…there was negligence,” Sotto said during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum on Wednesday.
“Sabihin na walang ninakaw na pera [Claiming that there was no money stolen], as I said it’s the opinion of the President but the Senate report and findings are clear,” he added.
The Senate Committee of the Whole, chaired by Sotto, earlier recommended the filing of malversation and graft charges against Duque and several others over the allegedly questionable release of PhilHealth funds through the agency’s Interim Reimbursement Mechanism (IRM).
The health secretary, who serves as PhilHealth board’s ex-officio chairman, has earlier dismissed the findings of the Senate panel as “baseless.”
Duque said he was implicated with the IRM fund distribution when he “was not even part of the deliberation and did not sign the said resolution” that authorized it.
Aside from the criminal charges, the Senate panel also called on Duterte to replace Duque and appoint a new health secretary “who has a stronger will to fight corruption.”
But Duterte has repeatedly expressed his continued trust with Duque, saying the latter did not steal any money.
“Would I just obey the cry of one million as against my assessment na si Duque walang nanakaw kung pera ang paguusap….maybe some other things, he might be some other things. But corruption, pera? Wala,” the President said in a public address aired Monday.
(Would I just obey the cry of one million as against my assessment of Duque who did not steal anything when it comes to money…maybe some other things, he might be some other things. But corruption, money? Nothing.)
However, Sotto maintained that the Senate found violations of Article 217 (Malversation) under the Revised Penal Code in the release of the IRM funds.
“There are violations of the officials of PhilHealth…including the Secretary of Health,” the Senate president said.
“So, opinyon ng Presidente ‘yun e [That’s the opinion of the President], what can I say?” he added.