Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) President Ricardo Morales is trending on Twitter after he notified the Senate that he could not physically attend their hearings regarding the alleged corruption within the agency.
Morales submitted a medical certificate which said that he is "immunocompromised" and physically "vulnerable" because he is receiving treatment for lymphoma.
While netizens fumed over the massive corruption claims made against PhilHealth, they likewise sought to understand the man heading the agency.
@ninikataraw tweeted, "In 1986, a young idealistic army officer, CAPT. RICARDO MORALES, a Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM) member, wrote his parents before the start of the EDSA People Power. He joined RAM to end the corrupt cojugal dictatorship. Today, as CEO of PHILHEALTH, he serves at the pleasure of ."
"Should I fall, then remember me with pride and understanding. Please do not disown me or my memory," Morales pleaded in his letter.
"PhilHealth President Ricardo Morales used to be the trusted aide de camp of Imelda Marcos," added @scribblerjack.
@michaeltabuyan could not believe how Morales' idealism had gone sour. "I am aghast this PhilHealth scandal," he wrote. "But what made me more disgusted is the fact that its head, retired Army BGEN Ricardo Morales, was an ex-RAM who, a generation ago, condemned the corruption of the Marcoses and tried to oust him. He became the enemy he swore to destroy."
Several netizens expressed doubts that Morales is really sick, even suggesting that he would take a cue from other officials who begged off previous Senate and court hearings and used their frail health as an excuse.
@SheisAengel said, "So this Philhealth official Ricardo Morales submitted his medical certificate stating that he has a lymphoma! Just WOW! Really WOW! Corrupting 15 BILLION PESO and now, he is SICK! WHEELCHAIR and NECK BRACE are coming!"
@joseph2686 commented that Morales' medical certificate "sounds familiar" and said that "as usual sa ospital ang takbo nila. Di pa ba tayo natuto 'kela (they run to the hospital. Haven't we already learned from) Gloria , Erap , Enrile, Corona, etc.?"
But whether sick or not, netizens are still demanding for accountability. @rpsyfdlg told Morales' doctor: "With all due respect Dr. Tiambeng, if Ricardo Morales doesn't really have lymphoma and he's just using this as an excuse to avoid accountability, all the preventable deaths due to PhilHealth corruption are on you. You would be an enabler to injustice that the Filipino is facing."
"Please hold Ricardo Morales accountable. Pera namin yan (That's our money)," added @irisbrillon.