Lawmakers just 'posturing'? Sotto says Duterte 'misinformed'

Senators  contradicted Friday President Rodrigo Duterte’s claim that lawmakers are just "posturing" during congressional hearings and most of the investigations did not provide recommendations that will lead to government officials’ prosecution.

“Baka nakalimutan lang n’ya or misinformed s’ya (Maybe he forgot about our previous hearings or he was misinformed). I will send him the Senate report on the [Committee] of the Whole investigation on PhilHealth. Most of his appointed officers have now pending cases and were removed because of the Senate investigation,” Senate President Vicente Sotto III told GMA News Online in a Viber message.

“As far as I know, the Ombudsman usually relies on Senate investigations and reports for their preliminary investigations,” he added.

Amid the raging pandemic last year, the Senate launched a series of investigations that revolved around issues involving PhilHealth’s questionable implementation of the Interim Reimbursement Mechanism policy, the alleged overpriced IT equipment, supposed manipulation of financial  statements, and legal cases that were left to gather dust.

In September 2020, the Senate Committee of the Whole, a panel chaired by Sotto, has recommended the filing of criminal charges against former PhilHealth chief Ricardo Morales and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III over the alleged irregularities on the release of funds using PhilHealth’s IRM.

It also recommended the filing of various charges against PhilHealth officials allegedly involved in the anomalies in the state insurance firm.

A month after that, Ombudsman Samuel Martires had ordered the suspension of eight Philippine Insurance Corporation executives over the alleged anomalous release of P2.7 billion worth of PhilHealth funds under the IRM policy.

On the other hand, Senator Panfilo Lacson advised Duterte to “read and review” the constitutional doctrine on the separation of powers and system of checks and balances in a presidential form of government.

“Filipinos should not believe him that nothing has come out of our Senate inquiries,” Lacson said in a separate text message.

He cited the legislation of the Anti-Hazing Law, which was crafted after the Senate conducted a hearing on the death of University of Santo Tomas law student Horacio Castillo III.

“The Anti-Hazing law and the incarceration of those responsible for the hazing to death of a UST student 2-3 years ago is just one of many positive outcomes of such inquiries, not to mention the countless laws that we passed and which our people continue to benefit from,” Lacson said.

He also told the President to focus on his administration’s “shortcomings.”

“The President should instead spend his time to focus on the shortcomings of his administration due to incompetence and corruption of several of his officials, not only in addressing the pandemic but in the many aspects of governance,” he said.

Senator Francis Pangilinan said the Senate will not conduct any investigation if there is no complaint or accusation.

"Wala namang hearing sa Senado kung walang nirereklamo at dinadaing ang mga frontliners, mga hospital operators, mga doktor at nurse at pati mga LGU officials na nanggagalaiti na at frustrated na sa palpak at tiwaling palakad sa DOH," he said.

(There will be no Senate hearing if the frontliners, hospital operators, doctors and nurses, and even LGUs are not complaining and frustrated about the way the DOH handles the pandemic.)

"Malacanang should listen in on these hearings para  malaman nila ang pagdurusa na dinaranas ng mga kababayan natin (so that they will know the hardships being experienced by the Filipino people)," he added.

GMA News Online has also sought for Senator Richard Gordon’s statement on Duterte’s remark but he has yet to respond as of posting time.

Gordon, chair of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee, will lead the continuation of the hearing into the Department of Health’s utilization of funds for fiscal year 2020.

In his latest public address Thursday night, Duterte criticized senators whom he said were only "posturing" when conducting Senate investigations on alleged government anomalies.

"'Wag kayong maniwala sa mga imbestigasyon, imbestigasyon. Kita ninyo, walang nangyari puro lang (Don't believe in those investigations, those resulted to nothing. They will just say), 'We will investigate'," the President said.

"May ibang senador diyan, mayroon talagang masabi. After investigation of one or two days of hearing, wala na. Walang rekomendasyon,  walang na-demanda, walang na-preso. Puro pustura lang," Duterte added.

(There are some senators who talk too much but after a day or two of investigation, they have no recommendation, no charges filed, no one was jailed. Pure posturing.)—AOL, GMA News