A whistleblower in the corruption scandal at Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) has tagged Health Secretary Francisco Duque III as the “godfather” of the mafia inside the state health insurance agency.
Thorrson Montes Keith, former PhilHealth anti-fraud officer, said this during the Senate’s hearing on the PhilHealth controversies.
“Maituturing ko po na siya po ang godfather po ng mafia… Doon po sa Interim Reimbursement Mechanism (IRM) siya po ang chairman,” Keith told senators during the Senate hearing.
“As a chairman mayroon pong due diligence po na gagawin ang isang chairman and considering na he’s a doctor and mayroon siyang institutional knowlege sa pamamalakad sa PhilHealth, (As chairman of PhilHealth board, he must have due diligence considering he is a doctor and has institutional knowledge in running PhilHealth),” he added.
He also said Duque was responsible for approving the appointment of executive officials who are allegedly part of the so-called PhilHealth mafia.
Duque, who participated in the Senate hearing virtually, denied the allegation when asked by Sen. Risa Hontiveros.
“I deny this absolutely malicious and without basis. I do not wish to dignify that allegation. Bakit parang kasalanan ko?” Duque said.
“I have clarified this before the Blue Ribbon Committee last year, but I will repeat it to set the record straight: there is no such thing as a P154-billion loss,” Duque stressed.
Duque, however, admitted there could be some syndicates involved in nefarious activities in PhilHealth.
But he expressed doubts on allegations PhilHealth president Ricardo Morales could be involved in the irregularities in the agency, saying there is no evidence yet that would indicate his involvement.
Duque said it is easy to speculate but there should be proof and data to prove Morales was directly involved in criminal activities at the agency.
Morales was not present during the hearing. He earlier informed the Senate Committee of the Whole that he is undergoing medical treatment for cancer.
Courtesy of Hannah Torregoza |ManilaBulletin
Source: Peso Economics
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