SC affirms COA ruling disallowing P83-M benefits to PhilHealth execs

The Supreme Court (SC) has affirmed a ruling of the Commission on Audit (COA) that disallowed the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation’s (PhilHealth) issuance of P83 million to its officials and employees in 2014.

In a 21-page decision, the High Court dismissed the petition of PhilHealth seeking to overturn the 2018 ruling of COA for lack of merit.

“Wherefore, the petition is dismissed. The COA Proper Decision dated January 29, 2018 and Resolution dated August 15, 2019 in COA CP Case No. 2015-683 are affirmed,” it said.

The case stemmed from PhilHealth’s payment of educational assistance allowance and birthday gifts to officials and employees in the head office and regional office in 2014 without the approval of then President Benigno Aquino III.

The Court said that PhilHealth revoked the concepts of fiscal autonomy, institutional authority to fix personnel compensation, and good faith.

However, it said these were already addressed by COA.

Further, citing a 2016 decision, the SC said that it is already settled that PhilHealth does not have absolute discretion in determining the compensation of its officials.

“At this point, there should no longer be any question that PhilHealth is not exempted from the application of the [Salary Standardization Law],” it said.

The Court also said that PhilHealth failed to point out specific acts of grave abuse that COA allegedly committed.

“To be clear, PhilHealth’s failure to point out the specific acts of the COA Proper that may constitute grave abuse of discretion in upholding the subject’s disallowances is sufficient ground to dismiss the petition,” it said.

“Be that as it may, even if the Court brushes aside the deficiency in PhilHealth’s allegations, there is no reason to depart from COA’s rulings,” it added.

The decision was promulgated on September 7 and released only in December. —KG, GMA Integrated News