PhilHealth branch facade
MANILA, Philippines — Security at the main office of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) has been considerably loose for more than a week now, as the state health insurer is still looking for a new security agency after the contract with its last manpower agency expired on July 31.
“We acknowledge the temporary cessation of security services in our head office on Shaw Boulevard, Pasig City. This [is] after our contract with Catalina Security Services expired while the acquisition of a new provider is not yet completed,” PhilHealth spokesperson Israel Pargas said in a statement sent to Inquirer.
Cause of delay
The lack of security guards at the PhilHealth premises is “only temporary while the procurement for new security services is ongoing,” Pargas said.
Pargas cited “unavoidable circumstances in strict compliance with Republic Act No. 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform [Act]” as the reason behind the delay in tapping a new security contractor.
“We assure the public that the management is exhausting all efforts to expedite the procurement,” he said.
He assured PhilHealth members and the general public that “services will not be hampered” while the issue is being addressed.
Critical areas
The state insurer, however, pointed out that security staff remained in place in “critical areas,” such as its data center and the motor pool at the basement, as well as at its central branch in Quezon City and warehouse in Marilao, Bulacan province.
This was confirmed to the Inquirer by a member of the security personnel at the PhilHealth headquarters at Citystate Centre. PhilHealth occupies the third up to the 19th floor of the 21-story building on Shaw.
In a July 26 announcement to employees that was signed by senior manager Francis Remigio, PhilHealth disclosed the “cessation of security services” by Catalina Security Services at its headquarters.
In Metro Manila and the rest of the 17 regions in the country, PhilHealth maintains a regional office and multiple local health insurance offices, satellite offices, and “PhilHealth Express” branches.