Senate panel 'made baseless findings on mere allegations' —Duque

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Wednesday decried the findings of the Senate Committee of the Whole on its inquiry into the alleged irregularities at PhilHealth which recommended the filing of criminal charges against him.

In his appearance during the House joint panel inquiry into the same issue, Duque said the Senate Committee of the Whole "made baseless findings on mere allegations alone."

The Senate Committee of the Whole earlier urged charges against Duque, ex-officio chairman of the PhilHealth board, and the agency’s resigned president and CEO Ricardo Morales, among others, over the "improper and illegal implementation of the Interim Reimbursement Mechanism (IRM).”

The panel, through Committee Report No. 107 filed September 1, also recommended the replacement of Duque by someone "who has a stronger will to fight corruption within his organization and the agencies under his or her watch."

Duque reiterated that he had no say in the controversial IRM.

"I was impleaded on the IRM when I was not even part of the deliberation and did not sign the said resolution. Ni anino nung aking pirma ay hindi makita," he said.

Duque maintained that he is for "zero tolerance on fraud and corruption," and went on to point out the reforms and investigations he launched as PhilHealth chair back in 2001 up to the time that he became chairman of the board when he became health secretary in 2017.

These include the creation of Task Force Kisap Mata which investigated cataract-related cases, and the adoption of a rotation policy as an anti-corruption measure, he said.

"I remain unflinching in my battles, not only in the fight to protect my character as a public servant but also in the fight to implement President [Rodrigo] Duterte's noble vision for genuine universal access to healthcare for all Filipinos and ensure we come out of this pandemic healthy as a people and as a nation," Duque said.

"Rest assured that I am one with you to ensure accountability of public officers and uphold public office as a public trust," he added.

At least two senators, Panfilo Lacson and Richard Gordon, have expressed reservations on the sufficiency of evidence against Duque, saying the PhilHealth board that Duque chairs is not involved in the implementation of IRM.

Lacson, however, said administrative charges may be filed against Duque if command responsibility would be considered.

Malacañang, meanwhile, said the task force formed by President Rodrigo Duterte would evaluate the Senate's findings.

“The President will have to await the findings of his own task force but as I said the investigation in aid of legislation is always welcome. It is a recognized power of the Senate and we respect their findings,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a television interview on Wednesday.

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 IRM.

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