Duterte to meet PhilHealth execs over alleged irregularities

FILE: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte gives his message as he stands as one of the principal sponsors in the wedding of First Lieutenant Jan Tabaculde and First Lieutenant Kerlyn Asuncion at St. Ignatius de Loyola Cathedral in Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo in Quezon City on June 1, 2019. ALFRED FRIAS/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte will meet with officials of state-run Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) on Monday afternoon to discuss alleged irregularities related to the funding of bogus kidney dialysis treatments.

“There is a schedule this afternoon. Magre-report sila (They will report to him).

He instructed them to make a comprehensive report on what is happening in PhilHealth,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a Palace briefing.

Panelo, however, said he has no knowledge whether Duterte will be sacking any PhilHealth official after his meeting with them.

“Di natin alam yung mangyayari. Na kay Presidente lahat ‘yan(We don’t know what can happen. It’s all up to the President),” Panelo said.

Duterte earlier floated the possibility of “reshuffling” the PhilHealth, but expressed confidence on the integrity of PhilHealth acting president and chief executive officer Roy Ferrer.

The Presidential Spokesperson said Duterte will decide on the reshuffling of PhilHealth officials after reviewing their report.

“Depende yun sa report ng (It will depend on the report of the) PhilHealth Board but certainly he wants to clean up the alleged irregularities in the PhilHealth,” Panelo said.

Panelo also assured that the National Bureau of Investigation is currently investigating WellMed Dialysis and Laboratory Center Corp., a private dialysis clinic in Quezon City at the center of the kidney dialysis scam.

PhilHealth earlier said it has filed at least 28 counts of misrepresentations and falsification against WellMed before the courts.

Panelo, meanwhile, thumbed down the suggestion of former Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque to suspend the PhilHealth following issues hounding the agency.

“If you suspend PhilHealth, di maraming naapektuhan, di maraming di makikinabang. Di maganda yung ideyang ‘yun (there will be many affected, there will be many who cannot benefit. That’s not a good idea),” Panelo said.

“Common sense will tell you that if you a stop an operation of a public service outfit then you affect the entire service. If the problem is irregularities, then you solve the irregularities, you don’t stop the operation. You don’t burn a house just because there are so many rats there,” he added.