Philhealth scam?

The National Bureau of Investigation or the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the national police should investigate a report my office received from a nurse.

The report concerns the abuse of the government’s welfare program, Philhealth.

Here’s what I got from my e-mail address, [email protected]:

“I’m writing to express my concern over the abuse [by some] doctors and hospitals of the 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program) program of the government through the use of their Philhealth [card].

“I’m a nurse in a hospital and I have witnessed firsthand how [some] doctors and Philhealth staff in the hospitals manipulate documents.

“No one bothers to make an issue [out of it] because of the [discussions on the] BBL (Bangsamoro Basic Law) and other concerns, but millions are lost [by the government] because of this.

“I happen to work in an institution doing this with some doctors. LGU (local government unit) doctors admitting patients in private hospitals, admitting families they know are covered by Philhealth even without illness, then after just 2-3 days without even proper medication they bill them thousands of pesos [by] exaggerating their diagnoses. I’m hoping there is something that could be done to correct the abuse of some doctors and hospitals.”

This is a multimillion-peso scam that should be uncovered—if it is true—and the doctors and hospitals bilking the government should be exposed.

* * *

Not all cases against policemen rot in the archives.

SPO1 Rodrigo Barnachea of the Quezon City Police District was dismissed from the service for shooting his farmhand, Reynaldo David, while he was drunk.

The National Capital Region Police Office heard the administrative case against Barnachea after two years of hearings.

The frustrated murder case against the policeman, which “Isumbong mo kay Tulfo” helped file in court, is still being heard.

On the other hand, Chief Insp. Joey Goforth of the Pasay City police was suspended for 20 days for conducting an illegal search on casino financiers Daniel Galapin, Allan Reazo, Jaime Campo and Mario Alvarez.

The four filed a case for misconduct against Goforth— with the help of my public service program—in the People Law Enforcement Board (PLEB) in Pasay City.

After 10 months of hearings, the Pasay PLEB, chaired by Marissa Mendoza, Goforth was found guilty of misconduct.

If the NCRPO and PLEB can decide administrative cases against erring cops in a relatively short time, why does it take the National Police Commission (Napolcom) many years to decide on cases filed in their office?

What I heard about some Napolcom investigators is very disturbing: They allegedly accept bribes from erring cops.