Investigators given 30 more days to probe PhilHealth's IT, legal sectors

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Wednesday said the composite teams looking specifically into PhilHealth's legal and IT sectors have 30 days to finish their investigations.

"We'll ask the composite teams to finish their investigations on the IT and legal sectors in 30 days. Then we'll prepare the complaints if there's enough evidentiary basis," Guevarra said in a message to reporters.

He said the 30 days will start once incoming PhilHealth president and CEO Dante Gierran assumes office. Gierran may take his oath within the week, he said.

The composite teams, which will continue investigating PhilHealth after a larger task force submitted initial findings to President Rodrigo Duterte, each have five members from different agencies.

The Department of Justice, the National Bureau of Investigation, the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission, the Anti-Money Laundering Council and the Office of Cybercrime are represented in the IT sector team, Guevarra said.

On the other hand, a representative from the Office of the Special Assistant to the President is the fifth member of the legal sector team, he said.

Guevarra headed the task force that was ordered by Duterte to investigate allegations of corruption in the state insurer.

The task force has completed its investigation and submitted its recommendations to Duterte even as the composite teams continue working.

Several PhilHealth officials, including former president and CEO Ricardo Morales, were recommended charged for graft and administrative offenses over anomalies in the corporation's Interim Reimbursement Mechanism, procurement of ICT equipment, and policies for accountability.

Guevarra earlier said "more people may be charged" as a result of the still ongoing investigations.

He once said PhilHealth's legal sector appeared to be a "very ripe source of irregularities." The sector's chief, Rodolfo del Rosario, Jr., resigned last month.

Del Rosario was not among the PhilHealth officials that the task force recommended charges against.

Asked to explain this, Justice Undersecretary Markk Perete told Dobol B sa News TV that the investigation into the legal sector has not yet been completed.

He said the investigators are "guided by evidence." --KBK, GMA News