DOJ: 20 more cases on alleged corruption in PhilHealth being probed

MANILA, Philippines — Twenty more cases of alleged corruption in the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) are being investigated, an official of the Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed Tuesday.

DOJ Prosecutor General Benedicto Malcontento told a hearing at the House of Representatives that Task Force PhilHealth’s investigation on the 20 cases is beside the seven complaints that the National Bureau of Investigation filed against several officials of the state-run insurer before the Office of the Ombudsman.

“May pito na na-file ang NBI pending sa Ombudsman at may 20 po ngayon, additional 20 cases na under investigation,” he said.

Even before the task force was created in August last year, there are already six complaints related to PhilHealth pending at the Ombudsman.

Meanwhile, the DOJ is handling seven cases, some of which are already in court and undergoing trial, Malcontento said.

After the task force submitted its findings in September last year, the NBI filed seven more complaints before the Ombudsman, he added.

In October last year, the NBI, with the endorsement of the DOJ, filed criminal complaints against PhilHealth officials, including its former president and chief executive officer Ricardo Morales, over alleged misuse of the agency’s Interim Reimbursement Mechanism (IRM) that provided emergency cash advances for medical facilities during the pandemic.

Last month, the NBI sued Morales and other PhilHealth officials for alleged violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act for anomalously releasing P33.8 million under the IRM funds to B. Braun Avitum Philippines Inc., a dialysis center that operates nationwide.

According to the NBI, the IRM funds were released before the Covid-19 pandemic occurred, and that they were used to cover hemodialysis procedures, which are not considered fortuitous.