PhilHealth execs linked to dialysis scam may be promoted, says official

The promotion of PhilHealth officials who had been linked to the ghost dialysis scam in 2019 is allowed under the Civil Service Commission rules, according to Senior Vice President for Management Services Sector Dennis Mas.

During a Senate hearing on Tuesday, senators questioned PhilHealth chief Ricardo Morales why he kept and even promoted these officials.

"'Yung ginamit na rule diyan, sa Rule IV Paragraph 3 of CSC rules nakalagay doon, the pendency of administrative case against any employee shall not be a bar to promotion," Mas said. "So kahit kinomplain ka, kahit may formal charge pwede ka pa rin ma-promote."

"Complaint was filed by the NBI to the DOJ. So ang status nito ay complaint pa lang, it is the complaint that is pending and has yet to be acted upon by DOJ. No case or formal charges were issued yet," he added.

This was a clarification to the earlier discussion wherein Senate President Vicente Sotto III pointed out that there were "cases" against the promoted officials.

"You're the CEO and President and you don't know there are cases being filed against these people and they are being promoted? They should be answerable first to the cases before you promote them," Sotto told Morales.

"Hindi ho ako nasabihan na sila ay may mga kaso ang nasabi ho sa akin wala pong na-file na kaso," Morales responded.

According to Sotto, Rizza Majella Herrera was promoted as senior manager of Accreditation Department; Bernadette Lico was promoted as senior manager of Corporate Planning Department; Recto Panti as branch manager of PRO NCR North; and Chery Wellan as senior manager of the Human Resource Department.

All these four were respondents to a graft complaint in relation to the ghost dialysis scam, Sotto said. They are also facing raps for alleged violation of the National Health Insurance Program and Code of Conduct for public officials and employees. -NB, GMA News