(Eagle News)–The Palace on Friday, Oct. 9, lauded PhilHealth chief Dante Gierran for his “decisiveness” that led to the courtesy resignation of PhilHealth senior officials.
In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Gierran’s move was an implementation of an old PhilHealth Board Resolution, which he said Gierran’s predecessor, Ricardo Morales, “blatantly failed to carry out.”
He said according to the resolution, all senior officers with Salary Grade 26 and above should tender their courtesy resignation.
According to Roque, this was “a step in the right direction” as it was in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s order for PhilHealth to be reorganized.
The President gave the order following allegations of corruption by Thorrsson Montes Keith, a former PhilHealth anti-fraud officer, in the state insurer.
The President also ordered the creation of a task force led by the Department of Justice to probe the Keith’s allegations that included a PhilHealth “mafia” pocketing P15 billion.
A report from the task force found the people who were supposed to set the policies and operational guidelines for the management of PhilHealth did not do the due diligence required of them in the discharge of their duties.
The task force particularly flagged PhilHealth’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee in its inquiry that focused on the Interim Reimbursement Mechanism, the PhilHealth-proposed P2-billion ICT system, and corporate policies.
The National Bureau of Investigation has also filed charges against Morales and eight others over alleged anomalies in the state insurer’s IRM.
Apart from Morales, charged for violations of Sections 3(e) and 3(i) of the anti-graft law; sections 251, 255, and 272 of the National Internal Revenue Code, section 4 of Republic Act No. 1051; and malversation of public funds or property were incumbent executive vice president and chief operating officer Arnel de Jesus, senior vice presidents Renato Limsiaco Jr. and Israel Francis Pargas, vice president for PhilHealth Regional Office National Capital Region (NCR) Gregorio Rulloda, PhilHealth Regional Office NCR Central Branch manager Lolita Tuliao, and Imelda Trinidad de Vera-Pe, Gemma Sibucao and Lailani Padua.
The charges stem from the allegedly questionable advances of funds to certain healthcare institutions in Metro Manila under the IRM.
