INVOKING BUDGET OVERSIGHT POWER

Sotto warns agencies ignoring Senate recommendations on PhilHealth mess

Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Wednesday warned that the upper chamber will be extra careful in reviewing the proposed budgets of agencies failing to honor the recommendations of the Senate on the alleged irregularities in PhilHealth.

"Kapag binalewala nila ang Senate report, babalewalain din namin ang budget nila," Sotto said in an interview on Dobol B sa News TV.

Sotto said they were surprised to note that some of the names they recommended for possible charges were not on the list of relevant agencies, including the National Bureau of Investigation.  

"Inaasahan sana namin na mas malawak ang makikita nila kesa sa nakita namin. Ngayon, ang inaasahan ko na lang, dumadayalog si [Justice] Sec. Menardo Guevarra, na paumpisa pa lang naman daw iyan," Sotto said.

"Ang Senado rito, ang pinag-uusapan dito ito majority at saka minority magkasama rito sa isyu na ito. Iba itong tinamaan nilang isyu sa amin," he added.

Sought by GMA News Online to elaborate further on what he meant, the Senate leader said: "I mean we will scrutinize their budgets. That's the only power left to us if our official Senate report is not honored."

Sotto said this warning applies to all government agencies "who will not honor the Senate report."

Last month, the upper chamber conducted its own investigation on the alleged improper implementation of the interim reimbursement mechanism (IRM), and overpricing of IT equipment in PhilHealth, among others.

The Senate copy-furnished the Department of Justice with its findings since the agency is leading the inter-agency task force which conducts a parallel probe on PhilHealth.

However, contrary to the Senate recommendations, the task force did not implicate Health Secretary and ex-officio chairman of the PhilHealth board Francisco Duque III in the irregularities.

Justice Undersecretary Markk Perete said the fact that Duque was not a voting chairman has been a factor in the findings of the task force.

"On the part of Secretary Duque, because nga 'di siya allowed to vote, ang nakita lang ng task force for it to conclude na mayroong negligence na nag-intervene here is 'yung institutional memory niya doon sa Board because I think he has been there for a long time," he said in a separate interview with Dobol B sa News TV.

Earlier, Duque said 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," Duque said.

'Napakasagwa'

But Sotto won't accept this excuse. "Ikinalulungkot kong sabihin na napakasagwa ng palusot nila. Anong akala nila hindi namin binasa ang PhilHealth law? Di naman talaga bumoboto ang chairman eh," Sotto said.

"Ibig mong sabihin balewala ang mga Zoom meeting na uma-attend siya, Zoom meeting na nagbu-bull session ang members ng executive committee at members ng Board? Andoon din siya," he added.

"Pagpalagay na nating totoo na 'di niya namalayan mula March hanggang June na P14 billion ang ginagastos ng PhilHealth nang iligal, 'di niya namalayan, saan ang bagsak niya? Bagsak siya sa Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code," Sotto continued.

The task force merely urged President Rodrigo Duterte to "strongly admonish and remind" Duque and other ex-officio members of the PhilHealth board of the "grave consequences of action or inaction."

Nonetheless, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said more people may be recommended for prosecution as investigations into alleged corruption in PhilHealth continue. —LBG, GMA News