MANILA – Former Department of Health (DOH) secretary and now Iloilo 1st District congresswoman Janette Garin has branded Sen. Richard Gordon’s latest allegation against her as “recycled and baseless.”
In a virtual press conference on Wednesday, Garin said, “Kung totoong nag-imbestiga si Senator Gordon at hindi lang simpleng axe to grind ito, malalaman niya na walang basehan ang alegasyon ukol sa P10.6 billion na paulit-ulit niyang binabanggit.”
Gordon said on Tuesday that Garin was recommended for filing of graft charges over the alleged diversion to DOH barangay health centers some P10 billion intended for senior citizens’ premiums in the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) for 2016 election purposes.
According to Garin, the money Gordon was questioning was part of the Unprogrammed Fund in the 2015 General Appropriations Act.
“Bago i-release ang budget na ito, may mga kundisyon na kailangan munang maabot,” she said. “Sa pagkataga-tagal ng imbestigasyon sa Senado, walang nangyari.”
Also recommended by Gordon’s committee for charging were former Department of Budget and Management (DBM) secretary Florencio Abad and former PhilHealth chief Alex Padilla.
“Gordon’s report is a big joke,” said Garin who was DOH secretary from 2015 to 2016 under the administration of then President Benigno Simeon Aquino III.
According to Gordon, the recommendation against Garin, Abad and Padilla was based on testimonies and evidences presented during last year’s Senate inquiry into the WellMed dialysis scam and other alleged fraudulent PhilHealth transactions.
“Falsified and twisted statements from Gordon are not new to me,” said Garin. “He has demonized me to the core simply because I was a member of the Aquino Cabinet and refused to be manipulated by the PhilHealth mafia during my tenure (as Health secretary).”
“Kapag may problema, sisisihin na lang ba lagi sa nakaraang administrasyon? I do not know Senator Gordon’s true intentions and why he keeps on pointing fingers at me and other officials,” she added.
According to Garin, in her short stint as DOH secretary, drastic reforms were implemented at PhilHealth.
“Nakita ko kung gaano kaluma, kabulok ang sistema sa loob that was why I introduced reforms,” she said.
The Senate Blue Ribbon committee report stated that in 2015, P10.6 billion was allocated for the premiums of senior citizens and PhilHealth but these were diverted to DOH.
It added that DBM, on the last working day of public offices in 2015, also released P9.39 billion which was supposed to be disbursed to PhilHealth but was given to the projects requested by DOH including P5.36 billion for barangay health stations./PN
