SENATOR Christopher Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go, has urged the Office of the Ombudsman to “get to the bottom” of corruption allegations against the officials of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).
“How can you (PhilHealth) help cure patients when you can’t cure problems in your agency,” Go asked agency officials as the Senate, sitting as a ‘Committee of the Whole,’ started its investigation last Tuesday, August 4, 2020, on reported abuses by officials inside PhilHealth.
The Senator stressed it is “unacceptable” that public funds intended to save lives are wasted due to corruption at a time when the country is facing a pandemic.
Go also lamented that despite being the chief implementor of the “universal” health program, PhilHealth had admitted that it would have to stop operations by next year or by 2022, at the latest for lack of money.
In the same hearing, PhilHealth chief executive officer, Ricardo Morales, admitted that more than P10 billion each year, or an average of P7.5 percent of PhilHealth money, is being lost to corruption. He added PhilHealth losses is expected to even go up by next year.
Go said that while the government is committed to provide subsidy to PhilHealth, those behind the so-called ‘PhilHealth Mafia’ must be unmasked and punished.
The Senator also vowed that individuals who will be proven guilty of corruption will be held responsible.
“We will make sure that those responsible would be made answerable; cases must be filed and they must be sent to jail,” Go said.