PhilHealth questions COA findings on allowances

The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) will challenge the Commission on Audit’s directive for the agency to return the the P247.88 million in unauthorized benefits given to its employees from 2007 to 2009.

“We are now preparing to file our appeal with the Supreme Court which we consider as the final interpreter of the law,” PhilHealth spokesperson Israel Francis Pargas said.

According to Pargas, the National Health Insurance Act of 1995 gives PhilHealth the authority to set the compensation of its officials and rank-and-file employees.

“According to our charter, PhilHealth has its power to fix the compensation of the corporation, the management and the personnel,” he said.

Pargas maintained that the allowances and benefits paid by the agency from 2007 to 2009 were legal.

“It’s aboveboard. It’s the benefits and allowance that we give to our employees as part of their collective negotiation agreement in PhilHealth,” he said.