Like real-life mobsters in the United States, a reported mafia in the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) has staged a gangland-type execution to silence a witness who exposed the fund scam involving millions of pesos in health insurance/ funds.
Ang Magsasaka Partylist Rep. Argel Cabatbat revealed at the resumption of the congressional hearings on the Philhealth anomalies, that evidence indicate that a neurologist based in Region 12, could be behind the attempt on his life and the murder of a whistleblower who linked the doctor to funds scams.
Anakalusugan Rep. Michael Defensor, chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts, called for a deeper investigation into neurologist’s alleged links to the Region 12 PhilHealth mafia.
The House panel will summon former PhilHealth vice president Miriam Pamonag to testify about anomalous claims made by the neurologist.
Pamonag was dismissed by the PhilHealth board for an administrative offense.
Defensor aired suspicions that the dismissal was triggered by Pamonag’s adverse action to the neurologist’s PhilHealth accreditation.
According to Rep. Cabatbat, he exposed the neurologist’s involvement in multi-million peso false medical insurance claims from PhilHealth from 2013 to 2018.
During the hearing, Cabatbat told his colleagues that he narrowly escaped death when three men opened fire at his vehicle while he was driving along East Avenue, Quezon City in February, 2018.
Cabatbat was able to dodge the bullets by veering his vehicle away then gave chase to his motorcycle-riding assailants.
His Montero car then ran over two, who were riding in tandem in one motorcycle, killing one of them, a former policeman identified as Mark Ayeras, and seriously injuring another, John Paul Napoles who is facing frustrated murder charge.
Two months before this incident, 26-year-old barista, Dan Joseph Alas, was killed by three armed men who barged into the coffee shop where he worked in Paranaque City.
During the virtual hearing conducted jointly by the House Committee on Public Accounts and on Good Government, Cabatbat said CCTV footage taken from the murder scene indicated that the killers were Ayeras and Napoles, and another unidentified gunman.
“Anong pera kaya ang ginamit sa mga hitmen na ito? Baka kaya galing sa PhilHealth funds? (What could be the source of the money paid to these hitmen? It could have come from PhilHealth), Cabatbat asked.
Based on his investigation, Cabatbat said he discovered that the neurologist’s PhilHealth claims increased by 8,400 percent from 2014-to 2018 for ailments involving inflammatory disease of the central nervous system.
On the other hand, claims for adult respiratory distress syndrome increased by 1,800 percent.
Reacting to Cabatbat’s story, Deputy Speaker and Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez admitted that the attack on the party-list solon and the killing of Alas are "worrisome."
“Hindi natin alam pero ganito na pala katindi ang umiikot na mafia na ito at umaabot pa sa pagpatay at hindi lamang pagnanakaw ang ginagawa nila. (We are not aware but this is how serious the mafia has become. They do not only rob, they also kill.)"
Fernandez said the resource persons to be invited next hearing should include officials of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) who will be asked to brief lawmakers on the status of pending cases filed against doctors like the neurologist.