The alleged stench of corruption at the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) has fueled senators to seek an in-dept inquiry following the resignation of an officer of the state health insurance agency.
In a message to Senate reporters, Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson, chairman of the Senate National Defense and Security Committee, said the recent spat between PhilHealth president and a number of board members as regards questionable transactions worth P1B million is enough sign of irregularity that calls for immediate senate inquiry.
“The shouting match in a recent virtual conference between the PHIC president and some board members involving almost P1B worth of questionable transactions including a total overprice of P98M says it all,” Lacson said. “The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis makes it more disgusting and abominable. Needless to say, there is urgency that the Senate has to act on the matter immediately.”
Insiders, according to the senator, see PhilHealth going bankrupt in 2022.
The corruption issue at PhilHealth is slated to be one of the top senate agenda on July 27, said the senator.
Meanwhile, Senate President Vicente Sotto III, along with other senators, is seeking to get to the bottom of the alleged corruption as most of taxpayers’ money goes to PhilHealth contribution.
In the words of Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara, “A big chunk of taxpayer money goes to Philhealth every year to be directed for the people’s health and the implementation of Universal Health Care. As it is, funds are hardly sufficient, and corruption would make this worse and is really criminal.”
What worries them, according to Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, is the fast-depleting funds of PhilHealth, while many hospitals are complaining about delayed reimbursement from the agency.
To recall, PhilHealth anti- fraud officer Thorsson Montes Keith recently resigned due to what termed he termed “widespread corruption” in the state agency.
