President Rodrigo Duterte named Dr. Roy Ferrer as acting president and chief executive officer of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) in place of Celestina Ma. Jude Dela Serna for alleged excessive travel expenses from Tagbilaran to Manila.
Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea signed the order dated June 1, 2018, stating that President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the nomination of Ferrer as PhilHealth chief.
Ferrer, who hails from Davao, said “I will do my best to be an effective public servant and to carry out the mandate.”
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque has previously said the President is putting top most priority to provide the public quality health service by cleansing the ranks of PhilHealth.
Only last month, PhilHealth hugged the limelight under Dela Serna’s leadership for the unpaid P700 million to private hospitals.
Duterte replaced Dela Serna following reports of alleged anomalies in Philhealth, including Dela Serna’s supposedly excessive expenses on trips and hotel accommodations.
The Commission on Audit earlier questioned Dela Serna’s P627,000 travel expenses to and from Tagbilaran and Manila. This included plane fares, terminal fees, and hotel and lodging accommodations.
