Defensor: Draft House panel report recommends raps vs. Duque, Morales

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and former PhilHealth president Ricardo Morales are among those recommended by a House panel to face charges in connection with the alleged anomalies in the state health insurer, Anakalusugan party-list Representative Mike Defensor said Friday.

"'Yung kay Secretary Duque, dalawa 'yung case na nakapailalim sa loob ng report," Defensor, who heads the House Committee on Public Accounts that probed PhilHealth, told reporters in an interview.

As secretary of the Department of Health, Duque chairs PhilHealth's Board.

The first charge, Defensor said, involves the reversal of the Court of Appeals' ruling on the case of Cebu-based Perpetual Succor Hospital, which was found guilty of two counts of extending a patient’s period of confinement in violation of PhilHealth law.

PhilHealth has overturned the CA decision by not imposing the three-month suspension and a P10,000 fine on the hospital. The state health insurer instead penalized it with a mere P100,000 fine.

"Yung kaso dito sa Perpetual Succor is not so much doon sa corruption or kung anuman ang ginawa nila pero 'yung pagre-reverse ng decision ng judiciary," Defensor said.

The interim reimbursement mechanism (IRM), which allowed PhilHealth to issue cash advances to healthcare institutions, is the second issue where Duque will be implicated, Defensor said.

"'Yung mekanismo ng advance payment, mali iyon. Hindi dapat ginagawa," the congressman said.

PhilHealth

In a statement, the PhilHealth said it will wait for the official report of the House Committees on Public Account and Good Government and Public Accountability “so it can properly respond to the issues raised against the Agency.”

“It will ask for the final copy once it is formally released. PhilHealth shall continue to cooperate to the investigating authorities to help bring out only the truth to exonerate the innocent and for the guilty to suffer the full force of law,” the state insurer said.

Not yet guilty

While acknowledging that President Rodrigo Duterte has repeatedly vouched for the integrity of Duque, Defensor said the committee report will not make any exemptions.

"Hindi naman natin sinasabi kaagad na guilty sila eh. Ang punto lang is dumaan sa Board, andoon sila as chairman of the Board and may mga approvals," he said.

"Ang sinasabi nga ni Secretary Duque at that time hindi nga niya na-sign and there were people who signed, but let it be so, basta nandito 'yung kaso and let them prepare the defense that they have," he added.

Duque has consistently denied involvement in the implementation of the IRM as he underscored that he was not a voting chairman of the Board.

Morales

Morales, meanwhile, will also be recommended for charges, according to Defensor. Morales left PhilHealth in August due to health reasons.

"Yung sa kaniya naman, sa execomm (executive committee) dahil sila ang gumawa ng recommendation para dito, sila 'yung nag-release ng pondo. So all those actions are covered in this report," he said.

Like Duque, Morales has denied involvement in any irregularity in PhilHealth. According to his legal spokesman Arnedo Valera in September, Morales “invokes at this time his basic Constitutional right of presumption of Innocence.”

“Our client is a man of integrity and completely denies any wrongdoings and the criminal charges against him,” Valera said.

Defensor said that among the complaints that will be recommended for Duque and Morales in relation to the IRM mess are for violation of Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, Article 220 of the Revised Penal Code on illegal use of public funds, as well as for administrative offenses for grave misconduct and grave neglect.

The committee report is still subject to debates and amendments. Defensor said he hopes to schedule a hearing on the matter next week.

"Pag-uusapan kung magpa-file kami as a group at kung ano ang ipa-file na mga kaso," he said.

He also expressed confidence that the installment of new Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, an ally of Duterte, will not affect the findings of the committee.

"To be fair with Speaker Lord Velasco, I think he would allow this. Tingin ko naman binibigyan niya ng laya ang mga komite para maisagawa ang kailangan nilang gawin," Defensor said. —KBK, GMA News