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MANILA, Philippines – Senator Risa Hontiveros expressed disappointment that Health Secretary Francisco Duque III was not included in the charges recommended by a multi-agency task force against various officials for alleged wrongdoing at the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation ( PhilHealth).
In a message to reporters Tuesday, Hontiveros asked the Department of Justice (DOJ), which led the task force, to “double-check.”
“While I respect the DOJ Panel, I am disappointed… I ask the DOJ to double check. We do not know if Duque is negligent, complicit or incompetent, but the three public hearings of the Senate clearly reveal the failures of our health system under Duque’s leadership, ”he said.
“Even if it is a bit dangerous for people: I strongly suggest that Duque resign.”
On Monday, President Rodrigo Duterte approved the task force’s recommendation to press charges against former PhilHealth president and CEO Ricardo Morales and several other officials for the funding mess involving the state insurer.
But Duque, who wants to be the Senate Plenary Committee defendant on the “illegal” release of billions of funds through PhilHealth’s Interim Refund Mechanism (IRM) was not included in the recommendation of the Justice Department-led task force.
Duque, who serves as ex-officio chairman of the PhilHealth board, already fired the Senate committee’s findings as “unfounded.”
Duterte, for his part, has already expressed his continued trust and confidence in Duque despite the accusations against him.
“The Senate, as a whole, reached an important conclusion: with Sec. Duque to whom they must be accountable,” Hontiveros continued.
“If we really believe that every Filipino has the right to health, if we really believe that the people have the right to have a clean government, we will include Secretary Duque in the positions,” he added.
One way to clean up PhilHealth is to “go after the big shot,” according to Hontiveros.
“We cannot let them get away easily. Whether or not the president influenced the decision of the Justice Department panel is something I cannot say for sure, ”he said in a separate statement.
“What is important, and also puzzling, is that despite the findings and recommendations of the Senate Committee of the Whole, Secretary Duque went free,” he added.
On the other hand, Senator Panfilo Lacson chose to postpone commenting until he has read the full report of the working group.
However, he said the Senate findings on his own PhilHealth investigation were “at least exploited.”
“Let me say up front that obviously the materials we provide and share [Justice Secretary Menardo] Guevarra and the composite working group were put to good use at the very least, ”Lacson said in a statement.
“This is a good reason to feel satisfied that we have done our part in taking the first big step to hold those criminally and administratively responsible for the misuse and abuse of public money accountable,” he added.
Lacson expressed the hope that the “vultures” may now suffer the consequences of their “misdeeds to satisfy their greed at the expense of the sick and unhealthy among our compatriots.”
Meanwhile, the Justice Department-led task force received praise from Senate Christopher “Bong” Go for its “thorough investigation” of the alleged anomalies at PhilHealth.
“This report does not end our desire to end corruption at PhilHealth. This is just part of our ongoing campaign to eliminate the deep-seated and systemic corruption that plagues our bureaucracy,” said Go, Chairman of the Senate Health Committee. , in a statement.
“I hope the task force continues its investigation into each and every anomaly at PhilHealth, as well as other government agencies,” he added.
Additionally, Go said he hopes PhilHealth’s new leadership will take into account the task force’s findings in its internal cleanup to avoid any anomalies within the state health insurer.
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