Top officials of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) received three times more for their salaries, allowances and bonuses in 2022 than those they got in 2021, the Commission on Audit (COA) said.
In its 2022 audit report, COA said that PhilHealth’s key management personnel received P71.45 million in 2022, including P764,063 for terminal benefits, compared to just P26.2 million in 2021.
It said the pay for PhilHealth's top executives is included in its Personnel Services expenses, which cover all salaries, allowances, and bonuses of their personnel.
"The key management personnel refers to the executive team, with the rank of senior vice president up to PCEO (president and chief executive officer). These individuals have the authority and responsibility for planning, directing, and controlling the activities of the Corporation," COA’s report stated.
Citing an example, COA said that PhilHealth President and CEO Dante A. Gierran received P2.102 million in 2021, or P175,000 monthly salary. In 2022, it said that Gierran received a total of P7.1 million in salaries or around P591,000 each month.
It said that PhilHealth has a total of 6,275 employees, with 2,645 of them as regular employees and 3,630 as casuals.
In summary, COA said that PhilHealth spent P4.973 billion for its personnel services in 2022 compared to P4.27 billion it disbursed in 2021. A bigger increase was noticed in PhilHealth's "Other Operating Expenses," as it spent P4.254 billion in 2022 compared to P3.545 billion in 2021.
The Commission on Audit (COA) revealed this in PhilHealth’s 2022 Financial Statements, which is found in its annual audit report (AAR). The pay for PhilHealth's top executives is included in its Personnel Services expenses, which covers all salaries, allowances, and bonuses of their personnel.