The Senate on Tuesday granted legislative immunity to three witnesses who testified in the fresh allegations of corruption in the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).
Granted legislative immunity were one incumbent and two resigned officials of PhilHealth, namely, board member Alejandro Cabading, former executive assistant Estrobal Laborte and former anti-fraud legal officer Thorrsson Montes Keith.
It was Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson who moved to grant the legislative immunity, and this was later on approved by Senate President Vicente Sotto III, chair of the Senate committee of the whole.
Keith had earlier claimed that a so-called “mafia” in the agency supposedly pocketed over P15-billion in funds through various schemes. Cabading supported Keith’s allegations particularly on PhilHealth’s information technology (IT) system project which they found to be overpriced.
Laborte, who appeared on Tuesday’s hearing, said he resigned from his post because he could no longer stand the corruption rampant in the agency.
Laborte said he worked with Cabading to stop the alleged disadvantageous IT project but said he felt defeated amid the continued corruption in the agency.
“I can no longer stand to work with these kind of people, sir. I really need to go,” Laborte said recalling what he told Cabading last June.
“Siguro we should accept defeat. Walang tumutulong to fix PhilHealth. Sa assessment ko sir corruption will continue to go on and on at wala na tayong magagawa. Alis na lang ako sir, hanap ako iba work, (No one is helping to fix PhilHealth. In my assessment sir, corruption will continue to go on and on and we can’t do anything about it. I will just leave and look for other work),” he added.
Laborte also admitted saying to PhilHealth President and CEO Ricardo Morales that the reason he wanted to quit was because he intends to go back to school and to study.
"Nagpaalam naman po ako ng maayos at sinabi ko po na ang intention ko is to go back to school and to study, which is true naman,” Laborte said.
He also said he backed out at the last minute and did not attend the last Senate hearing due to “security reasons.”