As former Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) chief Ricardo Morales faces a personal battle for his health, his legal team vowed to ‘vigorously’ defend him against an onslaught of complaints recommended by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The DOJ-led government task force pinpointed Morales as the most liable for the state health insurer frauds worth billions of taxpayers’ money.

“Our client is a man of integrity and completely denies any wrongdoings and the criminal charges against him. And he invokes at this time his basic Constitutional right of Presumption of Innocence,” lawyer Arnedo Valera, legal spokesperson of Morales, said in a statement on Tuesday, September 15.

Valera said that Morales is now focused on his health and family as he continues to undergo chemotherapy.

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier relieved Morales from office for health reasons, as he is battling cancer.

“His Attorneys led by Atty Renato Pineda and myself will vigorously defend General Morales and will appropriately respond to the criminal complaints either before the Department of Justice and or before the Ombudsman,” Valera said.

The DOJ said on Tuesday it recommended the filing of 6 complaints against Morales for his negligence:

• Section 3(e) of graft which penalizes causing undue injury to government;
• Section 3(g) of graft which penalizes contracts that are disadvantageous to the government;
• Malversation;
• Section 251 of the tax code which penalizes failure to withhold tax;
• Section 255 of the tax code which penalizes failure to supply correct information in withheld tax; and
• Section 272 of the tax code which penalizes violation of withholding tax provisions.

Of the 7 PhilHealth officials who would face complaints based on the DOJ’s findings, Morales had the most cases.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Ombudsman said that it was encountering “difficulties” with its investigation into the embattled PhilHealth because of slow access to documents on the state health insurer.

According to his camp, Morales was “looking forward to clear his name.”

In a late night briefing on Monday, Duterte acknowledged the impact of reported corruption that plagued PhilHealth on Filipinos during the pandemic, saying it was an “important issue to everybody.”

The PhilHealth anomalies have fueled anger against the government at a time when the Philippines has the highest number of coronavirus cases in Southeast Asia. – Rappler.com