philhealth 15 billion corruption essay brainly

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PhilHealth denies P15B corruption claims vs. senior officials

State insurer Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) on Thursday denied that its senior officials have pocketed P15 billion through several fraudulent schemes.

PhilHealth said the allegations of its former anti-fraud legal officer Thorrsson Montes Keith during a Senate hearing on Tuesday have no basis.

“His malicious claims not substantiated by evidence were obviously made to malign officers that rejected his ambitions for higher offices which he is not qualified for,” it said in a statement posted on its Twitter account.

No P15 billion pocketed by senior officials The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) categorically denies in strongest terms that its senior officials have “pocketed” some P15 billion as alleged by Thorsson Keith during the Senate hearing on August 4, 2020. pic.twitter.com/Wn7f3OA2g4 — PhilHealth (@teamphilhealth) August 6, 2020

Keith said the PhilHealth ‘’mafia” has deep roots in the agency, including top officials in the executive committee.

He said among the fraudulent schemes being employed are the cash advances, the use of the interim reimbursement mechanism, and the continuous procurement of IT equipment the agency already has.

However, PhilHealth downplayed Keith’s expose saying he stayed in the corporation for only nine months as a job order contractor doing staff work under the Office of the President and “in no position to discuss office matters.”

“The fund alluded to by Atty. Keith was the Interim Reimbursement Mechanism (IRM) that was released to a total of 711 health care facilities to assure efficient response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” it added.

“There has never been “favoritism” in the release of these funds as earlier alleged; rather the releases followed existing guidelines,” it further said.

PhilHealth clarified that hospitals still need to report these funds as the IRM is governed by government accounting and auditing rules.

The state insurer added they gave the regional offices flexibility in the timing of liquidations acknowledging the situation of each hospital.

PhilHealth noted that even the Philippine Hospital Association supported its implementation in all levels of hospitals, including infirmaries, to help them to “financially cope with the demands of increasing its capacity to respond to COVID-19”.

While addressing the issue on the IRM, PhilHealth however did not explain in the statement other issues such as the questionable procurement of IT equipment raised during the hearing. —AOL, GMA News

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Today’s front page, Monday, April 1, 2024

Expose the PhilHealth corruption

• Rev. Fr. Antonio Cecilio T. Pascual
• August 14, 2020
• 3 minute read

Brothers and sisters, amid the current crisis we are experiencing, there’s wisdom in the saying: Health is wealth. Be that as it may, if the allegations being thrown at the officials of PhilHealth are true, they are piling their personal wealth by denying Filipinos their rightful health benefits.

PhilHealth has a long list of alleged corruption activities. In 2015, the former interim president of the corporation spent over half a million on flights and accommodations. When questioned by the Commission on Audit, the aforementioned president said that PhilHealth didn’t have a service apartment that he badly needed in his work. In 2018, a blatant abuse of power and authority by those who run the corporation pushed PhilHealth’s staff to conduct a prayer vigil. In the past year, the issue of “ghost patients” in dialysis emerged, wherein PhilHealth released funds for beneficiaries who are already dead.

PhilHealth funds should be used for the health and wellbeing of millions of Filipinos. But are PhilHealth officials pocketing billions in taxpayers’ money? This is the question buried in the controversies that is confronting the agency. The situation gets worse with the new issues raised by former PhilHealth officials and employees. According to Atty. Thorrsson Montes Keith, former antifraud legal officer of PhilHealth, his investigation showed that P15 billion have been stolen from the agency. He called the members of PhilHealth’s executive committee, who seemed to have been pocketing money from the corporation, the “mafia.”

During the Senate hearings in the past week, one senator questioned PhilHealth for releasing P231 million for 48 dialysis centers and four maternity clinics through the P30 billion Interim Reimbursement Mechanism, a special fund for hospitals that care for persons with Covid-19. The senator added that the process of releasing the funds was suspiciously hastened, especially when it wasn’t intended for these patients. Aside from this, there is the PhilHealth information technology project that costs billions. The corporation allegedly purchased P3 million worth of network switches, with a market value of only P60,000. The COA sifted through a lot of overpriced items in the said project, involving millions that could have been spent for the health benefits of PhilHealth members.

It is emphasized in the Catholic social teaching that corruption brings about great harm to our democratic system. It contradicts not only our moral principles, but also our standards for social justice as well. Corruption destroys the people’s trust in institutions, and this pushes the people to lose interest in supporting the government. In the end, this would lead to the weakening of institutions and become obstructions in the active participation of the people in nation building.

Amid the suffering of our people, including those who perished and those who got sick because of the pandemic, PhilHealth must clear these corruption allegations. Where are the funds intended for its members? Who must be accountable? Will the missing funds be returned? The answers to these questions are needed if PhilHealth wants to regain the trust of the people. The issue involved here is of utmost importance—it is about the health and wellbeing of Filipinos.

Brothers and sisters, like how the book of Timothy 6:10 reminds us, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” Amid all the controversies enveloping PhilHealth, we hope that truth, justice, and the common good will ultimately prevail.

Make it a habit to listen to Radio Veritas 846 Ang Radyo ng Simbahan in the AM band, or through live streaming at www.veritas846.ph, and follow its Twitter and Instagram accounts @veritasph, and YouTube at veritas846.ph. For your comments, e-mail [email protected].

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