2 PhilHealth execs admit not telling ‘the whole truth’ in Senate probe

MANILA, Philippines — Two officials of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) were forced to admit that they failed to “tell the whole truth” to the Senate regarding the alleged overpriced procurement of IT equipment after Senator Panfilo Lacson moved to cite them in contempt for being evasive and “lying” before the committee.

During the Senate Committee of the Whole hearing on the PhilHealth mess on Tuesday, Lacson moved to cite in contempt PhilHealth’s chief information officer Jovita Aragona and senior ICT officer Calixto Gabuya Jr. over their insistent justification of the planned procurement of network switches, which senators had earlier flagged as overpriced.

Lacson’s motion to cite Aragona and Gabuya in contempt came after the two insisted that the network switches they planned to purchase amounting to P348,000 per unit was the Cisco 2960XR 24 Port.

However, resigned PhilHealth head executive assistant Etrobal Laborte, also an IT expert, had previously said that the model Cisco 2960XR 24Port was not what was being purchased and awarded to a bidder. Laborte noted that the said model was old, and had reached its end-of -life support and end-of-sales service in 2019.

The current available model is 9200, which he said was worth only about P62,000 at the time in reputable IT stores, was the one that was awarded by PhilHealth. Laborte added that Aragona had certified the contract and affixed her signature.

It was when Atty. Robert Labe Jr., PhilHealth’s corporate legal counsel, presented a copy of the award contract indicating that it “would appear that they are procuring 9200” that Lacson moved to cite Aragona and Gabuya in contempt.

Senior ICT officer Calixto Gabuya Jr. and PhilHealth’s chief information officer Jovita Aragona. Senate PRIB

The senator further pressed Aragona and Gabuya to admit that they lied in the previous hearing regarding the network switches.

Sotto then intervened and asked the two officials to just simply admit they made a mistake.

Lacson agreed, saying: “As simple as that and we will forgive you.”

“Do you admit that you did not tell us the whole truth?” he asked.

A few moments later, both Gabuya and Aragona answered Lacson’s question in the affirmative.

Lacson then withdrew his motion.

“I am withdrawing my motion in the spirit of COVID-19,” he said.

Should they have been cited in contempt, Aragona and Gabuya would have been ordered detained in the Senate.

JPV