QC prosecutor dismisses case vs Remonde, ex-IBC 13 executives

The Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office has dismissed the charge filed against former officials of a sequestered television station over their alleged failure to remit more than P6 million in employees’ health insurance contributions.

In a two-page resolution dated Feb. 12, Assistant City Prosecutor Alessandro Jurado said he found no probable cause in the case against former International Broadcasting Corp. (IBC) 13 officials Press Secretary Cerge Remonde, Mark Allan Jay Yambao, Joselito Yabut, Victor Felipe, Lauro Vizconde, Juanito de Asis and Ricardo Ebcede.

Remonde died of a heart attack in 2010, a year after the charge of violating the 1995 National Health Insurance Act was filed against him and his coaccused by Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PHIC) or Philhealth.

Based on the complaint filed by Philhealth representative  Florecita de la Fuente-Torreliza, the respondents failed to remit the contributions of IBC employees totaling P6,153,825.

The amount covered the periods of March to December 2004, January 2005 to December 2007, January to December 2008 and January to April 2009.

According to Torreliza, the IBC 13 officials failed to remit the Philhealth contributions of the TV network workers despite a demand letter sent by PHIC on May 28, 2009.

The prosecutor, however, said that the evidence presented by Philhealth was not enough to show probable cause against the respondents who failed to answer the charges against them.

“Complainant’s evidence does not show that IBC employees were covered [by] or enrolled in PHIC or that the respondents participated in the non-coverage or non-enrollment of the said employees. There is no proof that collections/deductions or non-deductions/non-collections for PHIC contributions were made in the PHIC employees’ compensation,” he said.