PhilHealth officials charged with libel, other raps

PhilHealth President Alexander Padilla. PHOTO FROM www.opapp.gov.ph

A private eye clinic accused of bogus claims filed a libel complaint against officials of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) in the Quezon City prosecutor’s office on Friday.

Eye Center Conglomerate Inc., which operates the Quezon City Eye Center, filed the case against PhilHealth president Alexander Padilla and internal auditor Dr. Kim Gariando.

QCEC president Dr. Raymond Evangelista, through counsel Lorna Kapunan, is seeking P2.5 million each from the PhilHealth officials for damages and attorney’s fees.

A P34-million civil case for damages from abuse of rights and breach of contract was also filed in the Quezon City Regional Trial Court against PhilHealth.

Evangelista said the eye clinic was wrongly accused by Padilla in a press conference on May 22 this year of receiving P150 million in PhilHealth claims and of resorting to illegal means to lure patients.

He said QCEC is a cataract surgery center whose facilities are rented by doctors for scheduled procedures.

“PhilHealth and its officers are misleading the media and the public into thinking that QCEC and those doctors who rent the facilities of QCEC are one and the same, and that QCEC must be blamed and held liable for inappropriate acts of doctors,” the complaint said.

Kapunan said the eye center will also file a disbarment case in the Supreme Court against Padilla and PhilHealth senior manager Jay Villegas for prejudging the investigation and denying payments due to the clinic.