Senate may initiate own filing of raps vs. PhilHealth execs —Lacson

The Senate may initiate its own filing of complaints against officials of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) who will not be sued by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) over alleged anomalies at the state health insurer.

Senator Panfilo Lacson made the remark Sunday after the NBI filed graft and malversation complaints against some PhilHealth officials over alleged anomalies in the state insurer's Interim Reimbursement Mechanism (IRM).

"We are keeping our options open. Puwede kaming mag-initiate mismo ng pagfa-file ng kaso against sa mga tao na hindi naisama ng task force," Lacson said in a Dobol B sa News TV interview.

"Kasi wala namang magpe-prevent sa amin kung dudulog kami sa Ombudsman bilang isang body, bilang Senado, o bilang Kongreso kung sasama pa rin 'yung House of Representatives, kasi sila mismo nagsagawa rin ng malawakang imbestigasyon," he added.

Among those facing complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman are resigned PhilHealth chief Ricardo Morales, executive vice president and chief operating officer Arnel De Jesus, and senior vice presidents Renato Limsiaco, Jr. and Israel Francis Pargas.

Lacson said that although the Senate had its own investigation, the complaints filed by the NBI against the erring PhilHealth officials are based on the probe conducted by the task force led by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

"Kung ang aming pananaw base sa aming imbestigasyon ay mas may dapat pang makasuhan, iba naman 'yung pananaw ng DOJ dahil sila naman ang nag-imbestiga na inatasan ng Pangulo. Sila 'yung mas may karapatan kung sino ang isasama," he said.

Despite the filing of the complaints, Lacson pointed out that the task force has yet to finish its investigation, as they were only pressed to submit their report due to the one-month deadline given to them by President Rodrigo Duterte.

Because of this, Lacson said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and former PhilHealth senior vice president Rodolfo Del Rosario Jr. may still be included among those who will be sued after the second phase of the task force's investigation.

Both Duque and Del Rosario were among the PhilHealth officials that the Senate recommended to be charged following their own investigation into the issue.

"Baka sa second phase ng investigation maisama. Kasi may pahayag na rin sila na itutuloy-tuloy nila," Lacson said.

He said that based on insider information given to Senate President Vicente Sotto III, there is evidence implicating Duque and Del Rosario to the alleged irregularities at the PhilHealth.

"So mas mabuting hintayin na lang namin 'yun. Puwede kaming magsalita na kapos o kulang 'yung nirekomenda ng DOJ. Pero kung hindi pa tapos ang investigation, baka we might be speaking too soon," he said.

Duque earlier told a House panel hearing 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 nu'ng aking pirma ay hindi makita," he said.

Lawmakers from the House, nevertheless, urged the task force to look into Duque's role in the alleged irregularities at PhilHealth. —KG, GMA News