Roque to PhilHealth: Don't blame me for OFW payment hike

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on Monday accused PhilHealth of passing the blame onto him regarding the controversial hike in the contribution of the premium payments of OFWs.

"Yung mga taga-PhilHealth, imbes na sagutin ang issue ay ibinaling ang sisi sa akin dahil ako nga ang author ng batas," Roque told Unang Balita in an interview.

Roque, a lawyer and a former party-list lawmaker, authored the Universal Healthcare Act, but said increasing the PhilHealth premium of OFWs was not part of the bill.

"Wala sa batas 'yan (increase), nasa IRR (implementing rules and regulations) 'yan at ang namuno sa IRR ay ang PhilHealth," he said, showing a screenshot of an alleged conversation by PhilHealth officials pinning the blame on him.

PhilHealth, or Philippine Health Insurance Corp., came under fire over the weekend for increasing the contributions for OFWs whose monthly income ranges from P10,000 to P60,000. These OFWs are now required to pay 3% of their monthly salary starting this year, an increase from 2.75% in 2019.

An online petition on Change.org has since been mounted to repeal the measure, given the global health crisis caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Roque, in the UB interview, said what the new PhilHealth leadership should address is the supposed irregularities within the agency, noting the time when President Rodrigo Duterte fired the entire PhilHealth board for alleged corruption.

"Pero 'yung tunay na sindikato, 'yung matataas na opisyal diyan sa PhilHealth, nandiyan pa rin," said Roque, who as a lawyer had represented whistleblowers who bared the alleged corruption in the agency.

PhilHealth is a tax-exempt government corporation attached to the Department of Health (DOH) mandated to administer the National Health Insurance Program, which provides health care services to all Philippine citizens. --KBK, GMA News