Zubiri: PhilHealth 'roof leak' possibly deliberate to obstruct probe

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri on Friday said he has a hunch that the "roof leak" which destroyed several documents and computers in PhilHealth Region 1's office may have been done to hamper ongoing investigations.

"'Yan na nga ba ang sinasabi ko na baka magkaroon nang cover up. We urge the NBI to get to the bottom of that to see if the roof leak was deliberately done to obstruct the ongoing investigations," Zubiri said in a message to reporters.

"We urge the executive and the Ombudsman to immediately implement the suspension orders and appoint trust worthy OICs so that the important documents can be protected," he added.

Earlier this week, the Senate adopted a resolution urging the Office of the President to suspend the top management officials of PhilHealth to ensure that they do not have a chance to tamper with potential evidence that would prove the allegations of irregularities.

Meanwhile, the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission said it is already investigating the leak incident, stressing that PhilHealth Region 1 is under investigation over its alleged inaction on at least 200 alleged fraudulent claims, some of them involving "ghost patients."

"Ang maaaring maapektuhan [ng leak] ay 'yung mga bagong issues ngayon gaya ng IRM," PACC chief Greco Belgica said.

The Interim Reimbursement Mechanism (IRM) was among the central issues that surfaced during the Senate hearings on alleged anomalies within PhilHealth.

Cash advances made through this mechanism have been questioned for apparent favoritism among some health care institutions.

While PhilHealth maintains the regularity of its IRM releases, its implementation has been suspended amid ongoing investigations. —LBG, GMA News