Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) president Dante Gierran expressed optimism Thursday that he would be able to address alleged irregularities that hound the agency.

“Kakayanin talaga. Kakayanin ko talaga iyan (I can do it. I can really do it),” said Gierran during a televised public briefing.

Gierran said that he has the support of President Duterte and his former colleagues at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in solving the issues surrounding PhilHealth.

“I have the support of the President no less. I have the support of Sen. (Christopher) Bong Go. I have the support of my former colleagues at the National Bureau of Investigation which is one of the units that comprise the task force that is currently investigating the alleged corruption within PhilHealth,” he said.

The newly appointed PhilHealth chief said that he does not yet have his appointment papers but he is already “preparing himself” for the job.

Gierran said that he will study the different issues in PhilHealth such as the alleged fake claims, alleged bribery in PhilHealth offices, and delayed payments in hospitals, among others.

“Meron akong mandato sa Presidente -- to eradicate entirely corruption in the corporation and of course, imbestigahan natin sila lahat, alamin kung ano at sino ang source ng corruption; at saka pag nalaman natin ito, ipa-file natin ang appropriate na kaso (I have a mandate from the President -- to eradicate corruption in the corporation and of course, to investigate them all --find out what and who is the source of corruption; and then when we find out, we will file the appropriate charges),” he said.

When asked about the recommendation to file charges against former PhilHealth President Ricardo Morales and Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, Gierran replied: “ I cannot stop evidence.”

“I don’t have enough discretion to stop evidence. Ito ang kultura namin sa NBI, kaibigan o hindi kaibigan, pareho lang ang treatment (This is our culture in the NBI, friend or not, the treatment is the same),” he said.

“In filing cases, you have to collate facts and then evaluate it. So whoever gets hurt.... it's beyond my discretion. What matters most is that ano po ang sinabi ng ebidensya (what the evidence says),” he added.

Gierran supports a proposal of a panel of the House of Representatives to grant President Duterte an “emergency powers” to solve the problems within PhilHealth.

“Maganda, napakaganda po (That is good, really good),” he said, emphasizing the importance of public health, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic.

“You know, the basics of governance, the basics of leadership, the basic of helping Filipinos, kung hindi 'yung serbsiyo para sa kalusugan. Because pag ang kalusugan natin ay ma-compromise, my goodness, sino pa magtatrabaho? Just like sa COVID ngayon, ano mangyari sa atin? (is providing health services. If our health is compromised, my goodness, who else will work? Just like with the current COVID situation, what will happen to us?)” said Gierran.

The PhilHealth chief said that he is ready to educate himself about public health after he recently admitted that he is not knowledgeable about the matter.

"I admit, ano ba ang alam ko sa public health? Of course, aaralin ko iyan. Hindi ko nga alam eh. Alangan naman sabihin ko alam ko, eh hindi ko nga alam? (I admit, what do I know about public health? Of course, I will study that)," he said.

"I have to talk to experts. I have to refer to experts to give me inputs. We do not have the monopoly of wisdom," he added.

Gierran has vowed to restore the public’s trust and confidence in PhilHealth.

“We have to protect whatever it is to be protected. We have to roll with so much transparency, we have to roll with honesty, we have to roll with integrity,” the former NBI director said.

“Pag ito ang ginawa mo, makikita po ito ng taumbayan at pag nakita nila na tayo ay sinsero, just like ginawa ko sa NBI, manunumbalik sa atin 'yung trust ng taumbayan (If we do this, and when the people see that we are sincere, just like what I did to the NBI, then the people's trust will be restored),” he added.

Duque expressed confidence that Gierran will be able to solve the issues in PhilHealth given his background in investigation.

"Wala namang kaduda-duda doon dahil abugado siya tapos CPA (Certified Public Accountant) pa, so meron siyang value add, at meron din siyang karanasan sa mga anti-fraud activities (There is no doubt about it because he is a lawyer and he is a CPA, so he has a value add, and he also has experience in anti-fraud activities),” said Duque in an interview over Teleradyo.

“Hindi siya pwedeng paikutan dahil marunong siya sa lahat ng anti-fraud activities (He cannot be deceived because he knows all the anti-fraud activities),” he added.