Drilon to new PhilHealth chief: Keep your eyes open to corruption, ensure transparency

MANILA, Philippines — Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Tuesday advised newly appointed Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) chief Dante Gierran to “keep his eyes open” to corruption and ensure transparency in the agency.

Drilon, who wished Gierran luck on his new appointment, said a “high-level and deeply embedded corruption which is perfected over time by corrupt syndicates in PhilHealth” is what awaits the former National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) director.

“He should keep his eyes open – never blink – to corruption. A piece of advice: transparency is an effective tool to prevent corruption. I hope his leadership will finally shine a light on PhilHealth which operates in the dark,” the Senate minority leader said in a statement.

“He can enhance transparency by employing technology. He must oversee the upgrading of the system of PhilHealth to minimize, if not stop, corruption. He can contract out IT companies to carry out the digitization of PhilHealth,” he added.

Drilon, meanwhile, said it would take more than a reshuffling of personnel to address the alleged rampant corruption within the agency.

“A top-to-bottom reorganization is what must be done. Get rid of the corrupt and the incompetent. We should put behind bars those who are part of the syndicates,” the senator added.

Gierran is replacing Ricardo Morales, who resigned last week as PhilHealth president and CEO after President Rodrigo Duterte said it would be “best” for him to step down due to his health condition.

READ: Ex-NBI director Gierran is new PhilHealth chief

Morales’ decision to step down came at the height of separate investigations into alleged anomalies plaguing PhilHealth.

PhilHealth has been embroiled in fresh allegations of corruption after a sitting board member and a resigned anti-fraud officer claimed that a so-called “mafia” in PhilHealth has allegedly been orchestrating large-scale corruption within the corporation for years.

A ‘tough’ job

In a separate statement, Senator Grace Poe said it was critical to safeguard not just the health but also the wealth of the Filipino public.

“Our people expect no less than a person of unassailable integrity and competence at the helm of PhilHealth to implement drastic institutional reforms,” Poe said.

“The job at hand is tough,” she added.

Poe, meanwhile, welcomed the reshuffle with the agency.

“The reshuffle within the agency is consistent with our earlier call to carry out a proper cleansing process and guarantee a fund life for the state health insurer that would benefit generations of Filipinos,” she said.

President Rodrigo Duterte recently ordered Gierran to immediately implement a reshuffle within the state insurance firm and remove all regional vice presidents.

Nevertheless, Poe said that the change in PhilHealth’s leadership should not “absolve those who will be found remiss in their obligations, which have brought PhilHealth in its current ailing state.”

“Ang pagnanakaw sa kaban ng bayan ay pagkakait sa ating mga kababayan ng kanilang karapatan sa maayos na serbisyong pangkalusugan,” she said.

(Stealing from public funds it akin to denying the Filipino people of a quality health service.)

JE