Senators grill Morales for promoting PhilHealth execs facing raps

PhilHealth chief Ricardo Morales on Tuesday justified that some officials involved in past alleged anomalies had been promoted due to lack of criminal and administrative cases filed.

During a Senate hearing on the alleged irregularities within the state health insurer, Senator Francis Tolentino asked why Morales did not implement a board member resolution calling for the courtesy resignation of all Salary Grade 26 in a bid to cleanse the ranks.

Morales said he kept them because letting them go would be "too disruptive to the corporation."

"Na-promote pa. Hindi na pinag-resign. Hindi na pinag-suspend, ipinromote pa. Palagay ko po, Gen. Morales, kailangan pong maipaliwanag natin ito dahil nabigyan pa ho sila ng, kung sinasabi ninyo po kanina, mapa-paralyze kayo kung sila ay mag-reresign. Eh bakit naman po kailangang i-promote pa?" Tolentino asked.

Without mentioning names, Morales said there were no cases filed against the officials being referred to by the senator.

"I think po 'yung nire-refer ninyong na-promote, wala pong kasong na-file sa kanila. I think this has something to do with the WellMed case," he  said.

To recall, the WellMed Dialysis and Laboratory Center was allegedly involved in the ghost dialysis scam in 2019.

Morales, reminded by senators that he was under oath, stood firm that as far as he knows, no evidence was found to implicate the executives he promoted.

"These people po, ito pong 20 na ang-submit ng information sa NBI (National Bureau of Investigation), were not facing a case, wala pong na-file na kaso sa kanila. Wala pong kasong na-file," he said.

"Meron hong nag-leave na tatlo... I think they went on a leave and then natapos na po 'yung leave na 'yan, bumalik na po sila. The reason for that is during the interim, there was no evidence that was discovered to implicate them," Morales said.

"On the basis of my knowledge po wala pong administrative na kaso, wala rin pong na-file na kaso sa korte."

Later in the hearing, Senate President Vicente Sotto III debunked that no cases were filed against the promoted PhilHealth executives.

"There are cases against Philhealth officials, personnel involved in the WellMed dialysis controversy," he said.

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 the graft complaint in relation to the ghost dialysis scam, Sotto said.

Meanwhile, Sotto said Lora Mangasar — allegedly a respondent in a graft, usurpation, and grave misconduct complaint linked to the reaccreditation of Perpetual Succour Hospital — was promoted as senior manager of the Protest and Appeals Review Department.

"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 asked.

"Hindi ho ako nasabihan na sila ay may mga kaso ang nasabi ho sa 'kin wala pong nafile na kaso," Morales responded.

"Sino nagsabi sa inyo na walang na-file na kaso? Sino sa mga tauhan ninyo ang nagsinungaling sa inyo?" the Senate leader pressed further.

"Iche-check ko po kung sino nagsabi sa akin," Morales said. —KBK, GMA News