Duque amenable to granting Duterte emergency powers to address PhilHealth issues

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III is amenable to the proposal being prepared by House members to grant emergency powers to President Rodrigo Duterte to address the issues hounding the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).

Duque, who chairs the PhilHealth board, made the remark as he attended on Wednesday the House joint panel inquiry into the alleged irregularities at the state health insurer.

During the hearing, House Committee on Public Accounts chair Mike Defensor asked Duque if he would be willing to grant the President emergency powers to have PhilHealth fixed.

"Opo. Maganda yung iyong panukala na bigyan ng karagdagan na kapangyarihan si Pangulong Duterte para mabilis ang reporma na isailalim ang PhilHealth," Duque told Defensor.

Defensor said lawmakers are inclined and already discussing about granting emergency powers to the President to resolve issues at PhilHealth.

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.

A separate investigation by the Senate Committee of the Whole has found Duque, as well as resigned PhilHealth president and CEO Ricardo Morales, liable for criminal charges in connection with the alleged irregularities at PhilHealth.

Duque, meanwhile, said it was "unfortunate" that the Senate recommended the filing of charges against him, stressing that he is not involved in any irregularities at PhilHealth. —KBK, GMA News