Morales: Board member Cabading has ‘axe to grind’ vs. PhilHealth management

Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) board member Alejandro Cabading has an axe to grind against management due to a failure to broker a deal, its chief executive alleged Tuesday.

Cabading earlier tagged four executive committee members as a "mafia" operating within the state health insurer.

According to PhilHealth president and chief executive officer Ricardo Morales, Cabading has been trying to broker a deal with the state insurer.

"I don't believe ho the statement of Mr. Cabading because meron din ho siyang motive. He wants us to buy this property in Zamboanga and he's been brokering for several months for that, so he has an axe to grind against management," Morales told senators.

Earlier in the session, Cabading named four executives as being part of the supposed mafia: senior vice president (SVP) for legal sector Rodolfo Del Rosario; SVP for management services sector Dennis Mas; SVP for fund management sector Renato Limsiaco; and corporate secretary Jonathan Mangaoang.

All four have denied the allegations.

In the same session, former anti-fraud officer Thorsson Montes Keith claimed that the PhilHealth "mafia" was composed of the executive committee and stole some P15 billion through fraudulent schemes.

"Ngayon mahirap hong magsabi ng people who are involved for example in mafia, unless there is evidence. I'm very careful ho in using this term because kung hindi ho tama, ma-i-injure ho 'yung reputasyon ng tao," said Morales.

"But i want to be very cafeful in using that term dahil hindi naman ako sgiruado pa, wala naman akong ebidensya na masasbing sila ay mafia o hindi," he added.

Cabading also during the session said PhilHealth funds are starting to get depleted and will not last until the end of the year should leaks remain unplugged. — BM, GMA News