PhilHealth: 94% of P15 billion ’stolen’ funds liquidated

MANILA, Philippines — Ninety-four percent of the P15 billion alleged to have been lost to corruption has already been liquidated, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) president Dante Gierran said Tuesday.

During a House hearing, Gierran said P14.09 billion that was released to health care institutions (HCIs) under the Interim Reimbursement Mechanism (IRM) has been liquidated as of Feb. 1.

Officials of Philhealth have been accused of pocketing off billions of pesos in a massive corruption scandal, amounting to about P15 billion.

Gierran claimed that there are no missing funds in respect of the IRM since the funds have been distributed to over 700 HCIs.

“With respect to the IRM of almost P15 billion, I would say, there were no missing funds. Right now, these hospitals have already made liquidation of these advances we made consisting of 94%,” he said during the hearing.

“Ang gusto kong malaman ng buong bayan, with respect doon sa IRM, walang nawalang pera. Nasa mga hospitals po ito. Accounted yan. Other cases, I do not know. Spare me,” Gierran added.

(What I want the nation to know, with respect to the IRM, there was no lost funds. The funds are in hospitals. That’s accounted for. Other cases, I do not know. Spare me.)

Resigned PhilHealth anti-fraud legal officer Thorsson Montes Keith claimed all members of PhilHealth’s executive committee composed the “mafia,” which had been allegedly defrauding the corporation for the past several years.

He referred to the “syndicate-like” implementation of interim reimbursement mechanism, the procurement of “overpriced” information and communication technology equipment.

JE