Go to PhilHealth: Clean your Stygian stables
By AJ Siytangco
Published Sep 06, 2019 10:02 am
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Updated Sep 06, 2019 10:02 am
By Mario Casayuran
Senator Christopher Lawrence ‘’Bong’’ T. Go has challenged the new leadership of the financially-disabled Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to clean its Stygian stables.
Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go (MALACAÑANG PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
‘’We trust that you will be able to weed out corruption and the corrupt officials and employees in the agency,’’ Go told retired Army Brig. General Ricardo C. Morales, new PhilHealth chief in last Thursday’s Senate public hearing on the ‘’billions of pesos’’’ in losses at PhilHealth due to overcharging or fraudulent reimbursements to doctors, clinics, or hospitals from PhilHealth members.
‘’Finally, I challenge the leadership of General Morales. Sir, I know you are a man of integrity, bilang ikaw ang napili ng mahal na Pangulo,’’ he added. (You were selected by our President to head PhilHealth.)
Morales was a board member of the Metropolitan Water and Sewerage System (MWSS) before being tapped to head the health agency vice Dr. Roy Ferrer. He took over PhilHealth’s top post last June 20.
The public hearing on alleged corruption or conflict of interest at the Department of Health (DOH) headed by Secretary Francisco Duque III and at PhilHealth was conducted by Senator Richard J. Gordon, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee and Senate justice and human rights committee. Duque is also chairman of PhilHealth board.
The hearing was called by Gordon after taking hours-long break waiting for a surprise witness against officials of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) headed by former Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon. The Bucor hearing was resumed after tackling the PhilHealth issue.
President Duterte recently fired Faeldon for not heeding his orders not to release inmates supposedly for ‘’good conduct’’ while serving sentences for heinous crimes.
‘’Habang patuloy tayong nagsisikap na mapabuti ang kalagayan at kalusugan ng ating mga kababayan, may mga tao na sumisira sa ating mga pinaghihirapan,’’ Go said.
Inuulit ko – pera ng taumbayan ang pondo ng PhilHealth. Galing ‘yan sa mga taong nagpapakahirap sa trabaho at umaasang mabigyan nang maayos na serbisyo kapag sila ay nagkakasakit. Ang pera ng PhilHealth members ay dapat ibalik sa kanila. Pera ng mga maysakit, ninanakaw pa ng iilan. Araw-araw daan-daang libong kababayan natin ang nakaratay sa ospital at nasa bingit ng kamatayan at sila ay umaasa sa PhilHealth, tapos kayo ninanakaw n’yo lang,’’ he said. (I repeat. The funds of PhilHealth are owned by the Filipino people. These came from the savings of our labor force which depend on PhilHealth when they get sick. It is the people’s money that should be plowed back to them. Thousands of our countrymen are on their hospital beds and are on the verge of death yet these funds are stolen by a few?)
Go said those who defrauded PhilHealth members must be fired.
He asked the Commission on Audit (COA) to conduct a special audit and submit its findings to the Ombudsman.
‘’Gumawa po kayo ng audit para malaman natin kung sino ang mga salarin. As Filipinos, iisa lang po tayo sa pagsugpo ng graft and corruption,’’ he said. (The COA findings must indicate those who are responsible. We should be one in fighting graft and corruption.)
‘’The Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) are here. Please get to the bottom of this mess,’’ he added.
‘’Kahit sino pa ang taong ito, karapatan ng taumbayan na malaman ang katotohanan,’’ he stressed. (The people should know who are behind the financial hemorrhage at PhilHealth.)
Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go (MALACAÑANG PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
‘’We trust that you will be able to weed out corruption and the corrupt officials and employees in the agency,’’ Go told retired Army Brig. General Ricardo C. Morales, new PhilHealth chief in last Thursday’s Senate public hearing on the ‘’billions of pesos’’’ in losses at PhilHealth due to overcharging or fraudulent reimbursements to doctors, clinics, or hospitals from PhilHealth members.
‘’Finally, I challenge the leadership of General Morales. Sir, I know you are a man of integrity, bilang ikaw ang napili ng mahal na Pangulo,’’ he added. (You were selected by our President to head PhilHealth.)
Morales was a board member of the Metropolitan Water and Sewerage System (MWSS) before being tapped to head the health agency vice Dr. Roy Ferrer. He took over PhilHealth’s top post last June 20.
The public hearing on alleged corruption or conflict of interest at the Department of Health (DOH) headed by Secretary Francisco Duque III and at PhilHealth was conducted by Senator Richard J. Gordon, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee and Senate justice and human rights committee. Duque is also chairman of PhilHealth board.
The hearing was called by Gordon after taking hours-long break waiting for a surprise witness against officials of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) headed by former Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon. The Bucor hearing was resumed after tackling the PhilHealth issue.
President Duterte recently fired Faeldon for not heeding his orders not to release inmates supposedly for ‘’good conduct’’ while serving sentences for heinous crimes.
‘’Habang patuloy tayong nagsisikap na mapabuti ang kalagayan at kalusugan ng ating mga kababayan, may mga tao na sumisira sa ating mga pinaghihirapan,’’ Go said.
Inuulit ko – pera ng taumbayan ang pondo ng PhilHealth. Galing ‘yan sa mga taong nagpapakahirap sa trabaho at umaasang mabigyan nang maayos na serbisyo kapag sila ay nagkakasakit. Ang pera ng PhilHealth members ay dapat ibalik sa kanila. Pera ng mga maysakit, ninanakaw pa ng iilan. Araw-araw daan-daang libong kababayan natin ang nakaratay sa ospital at nasa bingit ng kamatayan at sila ay umaasa sa PhilHealth, tapos kayo ninanakaw n’yo lang,’’ he said. (I repeat. The funds of PhilHealth are owned by the Filipino people. These came from the savings of our labor force which depend on PhilHealth when they get sick. It is the people’s money that should be plowed back to them. Thousands of our countrymen are on their hospital beds and are on the verge of death yet these funds are stolen by a few?)
Go said those who defrauded PhilHealth members must be fired.
He asked the Commission on Audit (COA) to conduct a special audit and submit its findings to the Ombudsman.
‘’Gumawa po kayo ng audit para malaman natin kung sino ang mga salarin. As Filipinos, iisa lang po tayo sa pagsugpo ng graft and corruption,’’ he said. (The COA findings must indicate those who are responsible. We should be one in fighting graft and corruption.)
‘’The Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) are here. Please get to the bottom of this mess,’’ he added.
‘’Kahit sino pa ang taong ito, karapatan ng taumbayan na malaman ang katotohanan,’’ he stressed. (The people should know who are behind the financial hemorrhage at PhilHealth.)