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Philhealth Officials Not Yet Off the Hook — DOJ

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Philhealth Officials Not Yet Off the Hook — DOJ Headline PhilHealth officials not yet off the hook — DOJ MediaTitle Philippine Star(www.philstar.com) Date 14 Jun 2019 Section NEWS Order Rank 1 Language English Journalist N/A Frequency Daily PhilHealth officials not yet off the hook — DOJ MANILA, Philippines — Officials of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) are not yet off the hook in the allegedly anomalous payment of claims benefits to “ghost” patients of a dialysis treatment center, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said yesterday. Guevara said the resignation of PhilHealth board members earlier this week did not clear them of possible liabilities for the controversy that reportedly cost the government P100 billion. He said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is now looking into the criminal liabilities of the PhilHealth executives. “The NBI is looking into the possibility that certain PhilHealth officials may be charged for violation of the Anti-Graft Law if they knowingly participated in this allegedly fraudulent scheme and benefitted from it,” Guevarra said. After meeting with President Duterte earlier this week, PhilHealth officials led by president and chief executive officer Roy Ferrer tendered their courtesy resignations. The six other officials who resigned were Jack Arroyo, elected local chief executive; Rex Maria Mendoza, independent director of the Monetary Board; Hildegardes Dineros of the information economy sector; Celestina Ma. Jude dela Serna of the Filipino overseas workers sector; Roberto Salvador of the formal economy sector and Joan Cristine Reina Liban-Lareza of the health care provider sector. The NBI filed charges of estafa and falsification of documents against officers of WellMed Dialysis and Laboratory Center led by its owner Bryan Sy before the Department of Justice (DOJ) earlier this week. But the complaint did not include any PhilHealth officials as they even stood as complainant in the charges against Sy and 10 others. The DOJ was set to resolve the charges against the WellMed officers yesterday after conducting inquest proceedings on Tuesday. Aside from Sy, the NBI complaint named other WellMed executives as respondents – John Ray Gonzales, medical director; Claro Sy, chairman; Alvin Sy, corporate treasurer; Therese Francesca Tan, purchasing officer; Dick Ong, administration officer; and physicians Porshia Natividad and Joemie Soriano. The charge sheet also listed whistle-blowers Edwin Roberto and Liezel Aileen Santos, who exposed the scandal. Selective justice Sen. Panfilo Lacson denounced what he described as selective justice in handling the scandal that has been hounding PhilHealth. Lacson reminded President Duterte that Health Secretary Francisco Duque III was also the head of the Department of Health (DOH) and chairman of PhilHealth when the P500-million funds of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) were illegally used to buy PhilHealth cards. “Mr. President, your DOH secretary and PhilHealth chief was PhilHealth president in 2004 when P500 million in OWWA funds was illegally used to buy PhilHealth cards bearing ex- PGMA’s picture and labeled with the acronym GMA (Greater Medical Access) and GMA Para sa Masa, Para sa Lahat,” Lacson posted on his Twitter account. PGMA refers to former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Lacson questioned why the board members of PhilHealth were asked to resign while Duque, who is chairman, was spared. “When all the board members of PhilHealth were asked to resign, it is difficult to understand why a different standard should be applied to the chairman of the board who happens to be the DOH secretary,” he said. – With Cecille Suerte Felipe, Mayen Jaymalin, Delon Porcalla .
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