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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Morales, other Philhealth officials willing to undergo lifestyle check

Morales, other Philhealth officials willing to undergo lifestyle check

Published Aug 11, 2020 07:18 pm

Retired Brigadier General Ricardo Morales, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the beleaguered Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), formally accepted today a challenge of senators that he and other top PhilHealth officials undergo a lifestyle check. 

Retired Brigadier General Ricardo Morales, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth)

Morales made the acceptance when asked to do so by Sen. Christopher Lawrence ‘’Bong’’ Go during a public hearing by the Senate Committee of the Whole on alleged widespread corruption at Philhealth.         

He insisted that a contract for a modern information technology (IT) system  be bid out where only big international firms should be allowed to bid and help him manage the firm efficiently and kept corruption at bay.            

Morales stressed that small local firms could not stand up to the IT standard set by  PhilHealth for its mainframe and other technical requirements.           

When he was asked whether he did not fail the expectations of President Duterte, Morales stressed that a modern IT system would help him manage the agency as such a system would help deter corruption.        

There are testimonies last week during the Senate public hearing that the actuarial life of PhilHealth would be on a tailspin by the end of 2021.            

There are also allegations that some P15 billion had been pocketed by in-house Mafia members.            

Go, chairman of the Senate health and demography committee, said he is considering filing a bill that would allow government to immediately suspend those involved in suspected shady deals as a hoped-for mass voluntary suspension at PhilHealth is not taking place.          

It is for this reason, according to Go, that there is a need to pass his e-governance bill so that government operations would be modernized to meet the expectations of the Filipino people for speedy administrative processes.           

Morales said that an upgraded IT system would eliminate wrong data in his agency’s records.            

He cited the presence of 5,000 senior citizens who are 130 years old.           

Morales said the introduction of biometrics, facial recognition and other electronic interventions would minimize fraud and corruption at PhilHealth.           

PhilHealth, according to Morales, handles 35,000 claims daily. The agency has 103 million members and pays P2 billion every week as reimbursements.

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