SENATE HEARING

Morales on PhilHealth: Tulungan, 'wag pagtulungan

Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) president and chief executive officer Ricardo Morales on Tuesday said the corporation needs help in dealing with the alleged fraud that is causing it to lose billions of pesos.

In a presentation before the Senate, Morales said the state insurer has already suffered enough, and assistance is needed to improve and address issues hurled against it.

"Marami pong dapat ayusin sa PhilHealth. PhilHealth needs help. It has taken too many body blows. Tulungan ho natin ang PhilHealth. Kung maari ho, 'wag pagtulungan," he said.

Morales, a retired military general, claimed PhilHealth is suffering from "negative publicity," but officials continue to push through with their reform efforts.

"If this cycle continues, this body might have to make that fateful decision if whether to pull the plug of this organization," he told the Senate.

"Until this happens, the management will pursue what it believes to be the right thing to do," he added.

PhilHealth is now facing investigations, after three officials resigned

One of them, anti-fraud legal officer Thorrsson Montes Keith who mentioned several reasons for his resignation, such as the alleged rampant and unfair promotion process.

"Maybe he should substantiate 'yung mga accusation niya kasi very general 'yung mga sinasabi niya. He is the anti-fraud legal officer, 'di sana meron siyang datos," said Morales.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, Jr. said PhilHealth officials are under investigation over the agency's alleged overpriced purchase of an information technology system worth over P2 billion.

Roque said the investigation will be headed by Undersecretary Jesus Melchor Quitain of the Office of the Special Assistant to the President.

Under its mandate, PhilHealth is tasked to administer the National Health Insurance Program which aims to provide health insurance coverage and ensure affordable, acceptable, available and accessible health care services for all citizens of the Philippines. —KBK, GMA News