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PhilHealth not a party to complaints junked by Ombudsman, says Gierran


PhilHealth was not a party to the recently dismissed criminal and administrative complaints involving its executives, the state insurer’s president and CEO Dante Gierran said Friday.

The Office of the Ombudsman earlier dismissed the complaints against former and current PhilHealth executives over their supposed retaliation on fellow officers. 

“The Ombudsman ruling…. was served individually to the concerned complainants and respondents, PhilHealth being not a party to the said cases,” Gierran said in a statement.

“In any case, the said decision by the Ombudsman should be respected by everyone in the interest of justice and the 110-million members who deserve nothing less but a strong PhilHealth,” he added.

The complaints were filed by Miriam Pamonag, Jelbert Galicto, Dennis Adre, William Chavez, Paolo Perez, Khaliquzzman Macabato, and Valerie Hollero, while the following were the respondents:

  • Former Acting President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Roy Ferrer
  • Interim President and CEO Celestina Dela Serna
  • Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Ruben Basa
  • Senior Vice President (SVP) for Management Services Sector Dennis Mas
  • Vice President for Corporate Planning and Organizational and System Development Office Shirley Domingo
  • SVP for Legal Services Sector Rodolfo Del Rosario Jr.
  • Supervising Health Program Officer Raul Badilla
  • SVP for Health Finance Policy Sector Israel Pargas
  • Corporate Legal Counsel Angelito Grande
  • Attorney IV for PhilHealth NCR Lawrence Mijares
  • Auditing Systems Specialist and Acting Senior Manager for Human Resources Leila Tuazon

The respondents were accused of filing and prosecuting “baseless” administrative cases, making “unwarranted” reassignments, and preventively suspending the complainants as a form of “retaliation.”

The complainants claimed that the respondents’ moves stemmed from their filing of cases against PhilHealth Board of Directors members, testifying on possible areas of graft and corruption within PhilHealth, refusal to accredit “fraudulent” healthcare institutions, and “being vocal” about the insurer’s financial stability.

The complaint for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act was dismissed for lack of probable cause while the charge for Grave Misconduct, Oppression, and Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of the Service was junked over lack of evidence.

“We assure the Filipino people that all PhilHealth officers and employees nationwide are imbued with a strong sense of duty and commitment to the National Health Insurance Program,” Gierran said. —Julia Mari Ornedo/KBK, GMA News

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