PhilHealth's De Villa says he resigned out of 'delicadeza'

Former Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) senior vice president Augustus De Villa on Tuesday said delicadeza was one the reasons why he filed his irrevocable resignation last week.

"Sa kadahilanan ng delicadeza po. Ako po ay isang taong marangal, may dignidad at integridad. Malinis po ang aking konsensiya at naniniwala ako na hindi ako nababagay na magsilbi pa sa isang ahensiya ng gobyerno na punong-puno ng alegasyon ng korapsyon, ng katiwalian," De Villa said in a Senate hearing.

"Ako po ay naniniwala na mayroon ngang katotohanan, sinadya man o hindi, at ito po ay base sa mga lumalabas na pagsusuri at lalong lalo na po noong Martes, noong unang hearing po," he added.

The former PhilHealth executive said another reason for his resignation was to spend more time with his three children as he shared that he has been a widower for more than a decade now.

Citing that he is already a senior citizen, De Villa said he also wants to protect himself from COVID-19 because he has hypertension which is considered a comorbidity.

De Villa said he joined PhilHealth in September 2019 and has now decided to "step aside" and work from the vantage point to salvage the honor of the institution.

In tears, he said those who had their hands dirty should be put to justice and those who are innocent should be allowed to continue doing their jobs. 

At the resumption of the Senate's probe into alleged corruption in PhilHealth, Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) Commissioner Greco Belgica said the state insurer has been releasing billions of pesos in payouts every week that are "exposed to corruption." —KG, GMA News