Palace snubs Senate on raps vs Duque

BY JOCELYN MONTEMAYOR and WENDELL VIGILIA

MALACAÑANG yesterday snubbed recommendations of the Senate to charge Health Secretary Francisco Duque and other key health officials of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), with presidential spokesman Harry Roque saying President Duterte wants to wait for the findings and recommendations of a task force he created last month.

Roque said the findings and recommendations of the task force are expected to be better than the Senate’s as “evaluation of evidence and appreciation of evidence would be, should I say, far more in-depth than the Senate investigation.

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The task force led by Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra is looking into allegations of graft and corruption in the state agency which has allegedly lost billions to fraud. The Senate and the House also conducted investigations.

Duque has long been the subject of resignation calls for alleged incompetence but the President has been defending him.

Duque, at the House where he attended a joint hearing on the alleged massive corruption in PhilHealth, slammed the Senate committee on the whole for recommending the filing of charges against him, saying it was anchored on “baseless findings” and “mere allegations.”

Duque, chair of the PhilHealth board, was referring to the issue hounding the agency’s the interim reimbursement mechanism (IRM), an cash advanced system helping hospitals, which is being blamed for fund losses.

“I was impleaded on the IRM when I was not even part of the deliberation and did not sign the said resolution while those who took part in the deliberation and signed were not included,” he said.

Roque, in several TV interviews, said the task force is expected to complete its probe by September 14 and submit its findings and recommendations to President Duterte then.

“Nirirespeto po natin iyong naging desisyon ng Senado… Pero pagdating po doon sa pananagutan ng mga indibidwal diyan sa PhilHealth, inaantay pa po ni Presidente iyong resulta ng imbestigasyon ng task force na binuo niya (We respect the decision of the Senate…But when it comes to the accountability of the individuals at PhilHealth, the President is waiting for the results of the investigations of the task force that he formed),” he said in an interview with government network PTV4.

In an interview with CNN Philippines, he said the agencies in the task force are also primarily mandated by the “Constitution and the law to put public officers accountable for their acts.”

Aside from DOJ, the task force is composed of the Office of the Ombudsman, Commission on Audit, Civil Service Commission, the Office of the Executive Secretary, the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission, and the Office of the Special Assistant to the President.

“Dahil binuo naman niya iyong task force, ay susundin po niya ang rekumendasyon (Since he created the task force, he will follow its recommendations),” Roque added.

He added if the recommendations of the task force are the same as that of the Senate, “so be it.”

The Senate committee of the whole on Tuesday recommended the filing of criminal and administrative cases against Duque, resigned PhilHealth president and CEO Ricardo Morales, and several former and incumbent PhilHealth officials over the supposedly “improper and illegal implementation” of the interim reimbursement mechanism (IRM), or the advanced payment given by the PhilHealth to health care institutions for unanticipated events like natural disasters and calamities.

Roque has reiterated that Duque enjoys the trust and confidence of the President.

‘ZERO TOLERANCE’

Duque said he would cooperate with any inquiry on the matter by the concerned government agencies because “I intend to clear my name.”

“I was only informed of the sponsorship speech of Senate President (Vicente) Tito Sotto (III) on the findings of the committee on the whole on PhilHealth. This is not the best of times for the Executive to have a difference with the Legislative branch, but I went to the Senate to explain what happened on issues I have personal knowledge of,” he said.

A former PhilHealth official earlier tagged Duque as the “godfather” of a mafia that is allegedly operating at the state insurer, while another official who is now on floating status said Duque is aware of all the problems in the agency but has done nothing to address these.

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Thorrson Montes Keith, who recently resigned as PhilHealth anti-fraud legal officer, and Dennis Adre, PhilHealth regional vice president who has been on floating status since September last year, made the statements during the third hearing of the Senate committee of the whole on alleged corruption in the state agency.

Duque, however, insisted that he has “zero tolerance on fraud and corruption,” touting the reforms he implemented PhilHealth chair in 2001 until he became chairman of the board being the health secretary in 2017.

He cited the creation of Task Force Kisap Mata which investigated cataract-related cases and the rotation policy which was adopted as an anti-corruption measure.

“I remain unflinching in my battles, not only in the fight to protect my character as a public servant but also in the fight to implement President (Rodrigo) Duterte’s noble vision for genuine universal access to healthcare for all Filipinos and ensure we come out of this pandemic healthy as a people and as a nation,” Duque said.

In a statement released by the DOH, Duque said it is unfortunate that the Senate has found him liable for corruption at PhilHealth but stressed he remains determined to clear his name.

In a statement, Duque said it is disappointing that the Senate recommended the filing of criminal and administrative charges against him despite his efforts to shed light on the issues.

“I attended the Senate hearing to cooperate with the Senate in ascertaining the truth. I am disappointed though that the Senate has recommended the filing of charges against me,” said Duque.

“As a non-voting chairman under the Universal Health Care Law, it is unfortunate that I was impleaded in the alleged IRM irregularities when I was not even present during the deliberation nor did I sign the Board Resolution,” he furthered.

NOT ENOUGH EVIDENCE

Senators Panfilo Lacson and Richard Gordon said there might not be enough evidence to pin Duque for the irregularities at PhilHealth.

“… there may not be enough evidence to recommend criminal charges against Secretary Duque for the simple reason that like the other members of the PhilHealth board, he had no hand in the illegal implementation of the IRM, nor was he involved in the procurement of overpriced IT equipment,” Lacson said in a statement.

Gordon said while he supports the committee of the whole’s report, he has only one reservation which involves the implication of Duque.

“I always want to be fair… he was being blamed for the IRM mess. In truth and in fact, he was never there. He did not participate, he was absent… We must be seen as fair, we must be seen as complete but firm. But if there are other things that they can charge him with, then they will have to come up with something. In my view, whenever I make any accusation, I make sure there’s a piece of paper that supports it,” Gordon told ANC.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III, however, said Duque is liable for malversation of public funds or property even though the health secretary did not have a direct hand in approving board resolutions.

Sotto said mere “abandonment or negligence” in the release of some P14.8 billion IRM funds to “favored” health care institutions (HCIs) is enough to charge someone with malversation of funds or property.

Sotto also clarified that the Senate committee of the whole made public its findings and recommendations based on the three hearings conducted last month.

Last week, Gordon, Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairman, came out with a chairman’s report on the hearings conducted last year in connection with other irregularities in PhilHealth.

Gordon’s panel recommended criminal charges for former Health Secretary Janet Garin, former Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, and former PhilHealth head Alex Padilla in connection with the diversion of some P10 billion PhilHealth funds for barangay health center projects. — With Gerard Naval and Raymond Africa

The Senate Committee of the Whole report tagged members of PhilHealth’s executive committee composed of its several senior vice presidents as members of the “mafia,” but Gordon’s panel said it was PhilHealth’s regional vice presidents who are the real members of the “mafia.”

Sotto said senators will discuss the differences in the two reports in a caucus.

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