Tuesday, June 28, 2022
manilastandard.net
ADVERTISEMENT
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Others
    • Pets
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Technology
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • MS ON THE ROAD
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Others
    • Pets
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Technology
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • MS ON THE ROAD
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
manilastandard.net
No Result
View All Result
Home News Top Stories

PhilHealth mess: House bares payments for rejected claims

Maricel CruzbyMaricel Cruz
September 4, 2020, 1:30 am
in Top Stories
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
72
SHARES
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Email

A house leader on Thursday slammed the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) board for the approval of more than P600 million in late payments to hospitals with rejected claims from 2011 to 2019.

At a congressional hearing conducted by the House committees on public accounts and good government and public accountability, Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said that since 2011, various hospitals all over the country have been claiming payments from PhilHealth. All these claims amounting to more than P4 billion have been rejected by the Protest Appeals and Review Department (PARD) of PhilHealth.

But in a sudden turn of events in May 2020, and without the required detailed evaluation of each claim, PARD reversed its decisions and granted its version of amnesty by paying all these hospitals, Barbers said. However, the board only allowed a little over P600 million to be paid, he added.

“How can the PARD and former SVP [Rodolfo] del Rosario justify this very anomalous deal? PARD is under the office of SVP Jojo del Rosario. With the lame excuse of helping these hospitals cope with the COVID pandemic, they suddenly became generous and considerate after years of neglecting these claims?” Barbers asked.

“First, each claim should have undergone detailed scrutiny and evaluation before being reconsidered. Second, how do you evaluate claims from two to nine years ago? Third, why the need to pay those claims that have undergone evaluation and have been rejected a long time ago for various reasons? Fourth, if the reason for resuscitating them is because PhilHealth erred, then these officials are liable for gross negligence and gross neglect of duty under the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, for sitting on these transactions all these years,” Barbers said.

ADVERTISEMENT

Barbers said “the board did not even do a simple due diligence and blindly approved the recommendations for “amnesty” from PARD and Del Rosario. They are all grossly negligent and entered into a deal that is grossly disadvantageous to the government.”

In a matter of days, Barbers said PARD has reversed years-old decisions and succeeded in getting a board approval for more than P600 million.

“It is just like peanuts for them,” Barbers said.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon, meanwhile, rejected a proposal by administration lawmakers in the House of Representatives to grant the President emergency powers to reform and reorganize PhilHealth.

“There is no use for emergency powers. We will oppose it in the Senate. The President can reform and reorganize PhilHealth without emergency powers from Congress,” Drilon said in a statement on Thursday.

“The President has vast power under the Constitution and existing laws to reorganize and solve corruption in PhilHealth. He appoints the members of the board. He can file administrative and criminal cases against erring and corrupt officials. He can order the suspension or transfer of personnel in the entire executive,” Drilon said.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III also rejected giving the President emergency powers, saying he already has extensive powers to implement reforms in PhilHealth and order a revamp.

Senator Francis Pangilinan said emergency powers are not the solution to corruption in PhilHealth.

He reiterated that if the President is serious about stopping corruption in Philhealth, he should fire Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.

He said charges should be filed against those behind the overpricing of test kits, testing machines and the billions pocketed by the PhilHealth mafia.

Drilon cited the law that he authored, the GOCC Governance Act or Republic Act 10149, which grants vast power to the President, through the Governance Council for GOCCs (GCG), to reform and reorganize government-owned and -controlled corporations.

“Congress has already delegated to the President, by virtue of RA 10149, the power to reorganize PhilHealth,” Drilon said.

Duque on Thursday said he was saddened by the decision of the Senate to recommend the filing of criminal charges against him amid the corruption allegations at PhilHealth.

“If the findings are by design so that they can remove me, let it be said that I have a constitutional duty to do my job unless the President says otherwise. If my service is no longer needed, I will go but I will clear the name of my father first because I have not caused any injury to the government. We may have differences in policies, on how to manage the pandemic and the like, but I continue to do my job despite the attacks made against my person,” Duque said.

Duque also asked the senators to be fair in light of the Senate’s recommendation, and even appeal for their understanding.

“These are not normal times and it is not easy for me to just accept all the blows. I attended the Senate hearing to cooperate with the Senate in ascertaining the truth. I am disappointed though that the Senate has recommended the filing of charges against me when I have not done any wrongdoing,” the Health chief said.

In response to the Senate’s recommendation that he committed “grave abuse of discretion or gross negligence” in releasing billions of pesos in IRM funds “without valid criteria for distribution,” Duque said he did not even participate in the deliberation or sign any document approving the fund releases.

“Is the Senate so intent in removing me that they invent a finding that is not supported by official documents?” he said.

“This is all just part of the job. First of all, I did not ask for this position. I was invited by the President to help him in his administration. You know that I have been a Health secretary before, right?” said Duque in an interview with ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo.

Duque said this is the second time, referring to his job as Department of Health Secretary. He was health secretary during the time of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

“In other words, what else do I have to prove, right? Nothing, except to work for the country and to help the administration of President Duterte become a success. So I will just work,” stressed Duque.

Duque sits as chairman of PhilHealth, which is being hounded by corruption issues.

Duque has denied any link to the widespread corruption at the state health insurer, but several groups, including senators have been demanding his resignation.

Even before the fresh allegations of corruption at Philhealth, several senators asked him to step down as DOH secretary due to his weak leadership in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Duque told those asking for him to resign to wait first for the result of the investigation now being conducted by the Task Force PhilHealth on the alleged anomalies in the agency.

Willie Casas

Tags: Governance Council for GOCCsPhilippine Health Insurance CorpProtest Appeals and Review DepartmentRobert Ace Barbers
ADVERTISEMENT
Maricel Cruz

Maricel Cruz

Related Posts

22 tagged in agri smuggling

byMacon Ramos-Araneta
June 28, 2022, 1:40 am
0
167
Probe sought on smuggled vegetables

Customs chief, DA officials, mayors highlight Senate report’s list A Senate report released Monday has identified Customs Commissioner Rey Guerrero...

Read more

Oil prices move closer to P100/l with new hikes

byAlena Mae S. Floresand2 others
June 28, 2022, 1:30 am
0
146
Another oil price hike

Pump prices moved closer to P100 per liter in Metro Manila, with the latest round of oil price hikes of...

Read more

VP’s husband Emhoff leading US delegation to inauguration

byRey E. Requejo
June 28, 2022, 1:20 am
0
142
VP’s husband Emhoff leading US delegation to inauguration

The husband of US Vice President Kamala Harris, Douglas Emhoff, will lead the American delegation to the inauguration of President-elect...

Read more

COVID tally, serious cases going up

byWillie Casasand1 others
June 28, 2022, 1:10 am
0
178
Shelve caravans for now, UniTeam asks supporters

COVID-19 cases have gone up by more than half in the last seven days, while the number of patients with...

Read more

House planning 100% face-to-face SONA for Marcos, first in two years

byManila Standard
June 28, 2022, 1:00 am
0
147
House caps busy 2021 with P5-trillion budget, vows ‘more fruitful’ 2022 to fight COVID

The House of Representatives is planning to host a 100-percent face-to-face State of the Nation Address for President-elect Ferdinand Marcos...

Read more

Ople wants OFWs deployed quicker; Hospital workers too despite shortage

byVito Barcelo
June 28, 2022, 12:50 am
0
154
Ople still undecided on DMW post

Incoming Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople wants to hasten the processing of the deployment of overseas Filipino workers,...

Read more

Stories you may like

  • Ex-Naga dad links Leni’s brother-in-law to illegal drugs

    Ex-Naga dad links Leni’s brother-in-law to illegal drugs

    36761 shares
    Share 14704 Tweet 9190
  • Of course, it was BBM’s project

    30882 shares
    Share 12353 Tweet 7721
  • INC endorses BBM, Sara

    28808 shares
    Share 11523 Tweet 7202
  • Duterte’s seven biggest achievements

    21984 shares
    Share 8794 Tweet 5496
  • Marcos leads SWS survey on presidentiables at 50%

    13583 shares
    Share 5433 Tweet 3396

Print Edition

View More

Recent Posts

  • ALLIED CARE EXPERTS (ACE) MALOLOS DOCTORS, INC.: Notice of Annual Stockholders’ Meeting
  • CONCEPCION INDUSTRIAL CORPORATION: Notice of the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting
  • PHILIPPINE SEVEN CORPORATION: Notice of Annual Stockholders’ Meeting
  • 22 tagged in agri smuggling
  • Oil prices move closer to P100/l with new hikes
  • VP’s husband Emhoff leading US delegation to inauguration
  • COVID tally, serious cases going up
  • House planning 100% face-to-face SONA for Marcos, first in two years

Advertisement

Latest News

VP’s husband Emhoff leading US delegation to inauguration

byRey E. Requejo
June 28, 2022, 1:20 am
0
142
VP’s husband Emhoff leading US delegation to inauguration

The husband of US Vice President Kamala Harris, Douglas Emhoff, will lead the American delegation to the inauguration of President-elect...

Read more

COVID tally, serious cases going up

byWillie Casasand1 others
June 28, 2022, 1:10 am
0
178
Shelve caravans for now, UniTeam asks supporters

COVID-19 cases have gone up by more than half in the last seven days, while the number of patients with...

Read more

House planning 100% face-to-face SONA for Marcos, first in two years

byManila Standard
June 28, 2022, 1:00 am
0
147
House caps busy 2021 with P5-trillion budget, vows ‘more fruitful’ 2022 to fight COVID

The House of Representatives is planning to host a 100-percent face-to-face State of the Nation Address for President-elect Ferdinand Marcos...

Read more

Ople wants OFWs deployed quicker; Hospital workers too despite shortage

byVito Barcelo
June 28, 2022, 12:50 am
0
154
Ople still undecided on DMW post

Incoming Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople wants to hasten the processing of the deployment of overseas Filipino workers,...

Read more

Duterte leaving as ‘most popular’ leader—survey

byManila Standard
June 28, 2022, 12:40 am
0
185
Rody: I did my best to serve you, but sorry if you find that lacking

Outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte will step down from office as “the most popular president of the post-Edsa 1 era,” according...

Read more

Advertisement

ADVERTISEMENT
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube

ABOUT US

Manila Standard

Manila Standard website (manilastandard.net), launched in August 2002, extends the newspaper’s reach beyond its traditional readers and makes its brand of Philippine news and opinion available to a much wider and geographically diverse readership here and overseas.

Digital Edition

In tone and content, the online edition mirrors the editorial thrust of the newspaper. While hewing to the traditional precepts of fairness and objectivity, MS believes the news of the day need not be staid, overly long or dry. Stories are succinct, readable and written in a lively style that has become a hallmark of the newspaper.

Download – Today’s Paper

Search

No Result
View All Result

6th Floor Universal Re Bldg., 106 Paseo De Roxas cor. Perea Street, Legaspi Village, 1226 Makati City Philippines

Trunklines: 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Pop.Life
    • Newsmakers
    • Hangouts
    • A-Pop
    • Post Its
    • Performances
    • Malls & Bazaars
    • Hobbies & Collections
  • Technology
    • Gadgets
    • Computers
    • Business
    • Tech Plus
  • MS ON THE ROAD
    • Sedan
    • SUV
    • Truck
    • Bike
    • Accessories
    • Motoring Plus
    • Commuter’s Corner
  • Home & Design
    • Residential
    • Commercial
    • Construction
    • Interior
  • Spotlight
  • Gallery
    • Photos
    • Videos
  • Events
    • Seminars
    • Exhibits
    • Community
  • Biyahero
    • Travel Features
    • Travel Reels
    • Travel Logs
  • Pets
  • Advertise with Us

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Install Manila Standard Web App

Install App