President Rodrigo Duterte approved a government task force’s recommendation to file criminal and administrative charges against former Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) president Ricardo Morales and other PhilHealth executives allegedly involved in billion-peso anomalies.

“I’m sorry for them but you have to undergo trial,” Duterte said in a late-night press briefing on Monday, September 14.

“The presumption of innocence still attaches but the report of another agency says otherwise,” he added.

In a message to reporters on Monday night, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque confirmed that “the President approved the recommendations of the task force on PhilHealth,” which urged the filing of criminal charges against several officials. 

The officials include the following:

• Ricardo Morales, former PhilHealth president and CEO 
• Jovita Aragona, senior vice president for the information management sector
• Calixto Gabuya Jr, acting senior manager of the information technology and management department
• Renato Limsiaco Jr, senior vice president for the fund management sector
• Israel Francis Pargas, senior vice president for the health finance policy sector

The filing of criminal charges was also recommended against personnel of the PhilHealth Metro Manila regional office, among others. 

The task force recommended the following charges against them: 

• violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act 
• malversation of public funds and property 
• illegal use of public funds and property 
• gross misconduct and gross neglect of duty under civil service rules 
• failure to withhold taxes on the state insurer’s Interim Reimbursement Mechanism (IRM) releases 

Aside from this, the task force also recommended the filing of administrative complaints against Morales, Aragona, Limsiaco, Gabuya, and executive vice president and COO Arnel de Jesus, among others. 

The task force did not call for charges against PhilHealth Chairman and Health Secretary Francisco Duque.

Instead, it “strongly recommended” admonishing the PhilHealth chairman and board members, and reminding them of the “grave consequence of their action or inaction to the PhilHealth fund, to the government and its coffers, and to the interests of the ordinary people who rely on PhilHeath assistance.” 

The task force’s recommendations come after a weeks-long investigation and marathon Congressional hearings that uncovered a laundry list of anomalies hounding the state insurer. 

Must Read

CHEAT SHEET: Alleged PhilHealth anomalies uncovered in Congress probes

During his speech, Duterte acknowledged the impact of reported corruption that plagued PhilHealth on Filipinos during the pandemic, saying it was an “important issue to everybody.” 

“Everybody again is also placed in jeopardy by the actions of the officials,” Duterte said. – Rappler.com