MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the filing of criminal and administrative charges against former Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) president Ricardo Morales and other officials over the alleged irregularities within the state insurer.
In his public address on Monday, Duterte said the task force created to investigate the anomaly came to the conclusion that several officers of PhilHealth violated the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
Aside from Morales, the task force recommended charges against PhilHealth Senior Vice President for Information Management Sector Jovita Aragona, Acting Senior Manager, Information Technology and Management Department Calixto Gabuya Jr., Senior Vice President for Fund Management Sector Renato Limsiaco Jr., Senior Vice President for Health Finance Policy Sector Israel Francis Pargas, and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Arnel De Jesus, among others.
“The issue of PhilHealth corruption is really an important issue to the Filipinos, and everybody, again, is placed in jeopardy by the actions of the officials,” Duterte said.
“I’m sorry for them but they have to undergo a trial, although, they can always prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt. The presumption of innocence still attaches, but the report of another agency says otherwise,” he added.
The Duterte-created task force, composed of representatives from the Department of Justice, the Office of the Special Assistant to the President, the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission, the National Bureau of Investigation, and the Anti-Money Laundering Council, among others, talked with 14 witnesses in the course of seven hearings.
Meanwhile, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said more people may be recommended for prosecution after Senate President Vicente Sotto III questioned Health Secretary Francisco Duque III’s absence from the charge sheet.
“Panimula pa lang naman po ito because they had a very limited period of time given to them by the President, [which was] 30 days,” Roque said Tuesday. “Magpapatuloy pa po ang imbestigasyon ng DOJ at ng Ombudsman.”/PN
