Boying Remulla warns PhilHealth exec: Don’t take House panel hearings lightly

Cavite Representative Jesus Crispin "Boying" Remulla on Thursday warned a high-ranking official of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) not to take the ongoing House panel inquiries lightly after he had skipped many of the previous hearings.

Remulla made the remark after noticing that PhilHealth senior vice president Atty. Rodolfo Del Rosario Jr. was again not present in the initial part of their hearing.

During the hearing, Surigao del Norte Representative Robert Ace Barbers looked for Del Rosario among the resource persons to answer his interpellation, but House Committee on Public Accounts chair Mike Defensor said the PhilHealth official was not present.

'Not the first time'

Remulla noted that it was not the first time that Del Rosario "disobeyed" the invitation of the House to attend their hearings.

Del Rosario had left the House inquiries twice before --- first due to high blood pressure, and second due to a "medical emergency."

"I believe that we either cite him in contempt or give him one more chance whatever the pleasure of the body would be. But he cannot take this committee lightly," Remulla said.

"I don't see any reason why he cannot appear on Zoom before this committee, unless he is trying to evade us with impunity," he added.

Defensor said that if Del Rosario would not appear, even via Zoom, in the hearing in the next hour, then he would entertain a motion for contempt.

Preventive suspension

A few minutes later, Del Rosario joined the hearing via Zoom. He apologized for not coming in right away as he said he was not feeling well.

"Medyo masama ang pakiramdam ko. Tapos naka-receive na rin tayo ng preventive suspension. So inaayos ko yung mga gamit ko kasi this will be the last day that I will be in office for the next six months," he said.

Del Rosario is one of the 13 PhilHealth officials whom the Office of the Ombudsman slapped with a six-month preventive suspension amid the ongoing congressional inquiries into the agency.

Resigned PhilHealth anti-fraud officer Thorsson Montes Keith earlier claimed that the PhilHealth "mafia," composed of the executive committee, stole some P15 billion through fraudulent schemes, including those involving the interim reimbursement mechanism.

PhilHealth, in a statement, has since denied such claims. — RSJ, GMA News