Solons urge DOJ-led task force: Look into Duque's role in PhilHealth mess

Lawmakers from the House of Representatives on Thursday asked the task force led by Department of Justice to look into the role of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III in the alleged irregularities at the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).

During a joint House panel hearing, Surigao Del Norte Representative Robert Ace Barbers said Duque cannot simply say that he does not have a hand in the controversial interim reimbursement mechanism (IRM), considering that he is the chairman of the PhilHealth board.

"Hindi pwede yung papabayaan lang nila. Ang laging statement ni Secretary Duque ay ‘I haven’t attended the meeting of the board’ or ‘I was not a signatory to that,’ etcetera," he said.

"This clearly is an evasion of responsibility of being the chairman of the board.... Ano ba on the point of view of lawyers like you, yung hindi paggawa? Hindi ba non-feasance yung action na yun ng Secretary of Health where he will also be administratively liable?" he added.

In an earlier House hearing, Duque reiterated that he had no say in the IRM, even as the Senate Committee of the Whole recommended charges against him, among other PhilHealth officials, over the "improper and illegal implementation" of the said system.

"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.

But Cavite Representative Jesus Crispin Remulla, on Thursday's hearing, said Duque is the "longest-tenured person" in PhilHealth as he has been in the board for at least 12 years, so there really is a need to study the health secretary's role in the alleged anomalies at the state health insurer.

"Lagi nyang sinasabi, wala siyang responsibility. How can you be the chairman of the board and say you’re not responsible for anything? That is not the behavior of a responsible person," he said.

"Lagi mo bang sasabihin executive officers lang o yung taong matagal na matagal na nandyan na alam ang lahat ng kalokohan pinapabayaan lang. By default, it’s him. I don’t see why people are even thinking of other things but the responsibility of Mr. Duque," he added.

After these concerns were raised, Justice Undersecretary Adrian Sugay said they will look into the possible liability of Duque in the PhilHealth issue.

"Pinag-uusapan natin yung IRM for instance, so far nakikita namin, tama naman yung policy, tama yung rules, maybe it was in the implementation and I think that’s a matter for the executive officers," he said.

"Tama ba yung policy in regard to that, which is really—yun ang papel ng board. Yun ang papel ng chairman. Policy-setting yung board e. Magkaiba yun sa implementation. Titingnan natin. We need to look into it further," he added.

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. —LBG, GMA News