(Eagle News) — Former PhilHealth president Alex Padilla on Thursday, May 31, denied he diverted P10.69 billion intended for senior citizens.
In an interview over GMA’s News to Go, Padilla said his August 2015 request for the release of the same to fund the construction of rural health facilities instead was not acted upon by the Department of Budget and Management then headed by Secretary Butch Abad in the first place.
In fact, he said he wrote subsequent letters making the same request to the DBM within that year.
“Hindi magkakadiversion kung hindi nagkapondo. Dapat nagkapondo muna ang PhilHealth at dinivert ko. E hindi nagkaroon so ano ang ididivert ko?” Padilla asked.
According to Padilla, if the reports are to be believed that the funds for the construction of health facilities came from the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund Savings instead, “ang PhilHealth walang kinalaman dun.”
A certification issued by the Department of Budget Management on May 9,2018 showed that based on available documents, P8,351,000,000 were sourced from the fund specifically for the construction of rural health units and barangay health stations.
“Ang bidding at procurement sa (Department of Health) mismo. Walang pondo na tinanggap ang PhilHealth,” Padilla reiterated.
The DOH then was led by Secretary Janette Garin.
Padilla also denied that when he left the helm of PhilHealth in 2016, it was in bad financial health.
According to Padilla, during that time, “we paid the hospitals and yet we maintained our reserve.”
The reserve, under the law, he said, was pegged at over P100 billion per year.
He said PhilHealth collected P100 to P105 billion per year and relied on “augmentation” from sin taxes.
“We did not spend more than what we earned,” he said.
“Ngayong 2016, 2017, 2018, kung sinasabi na malulugi na sila, mas malaki gastos kaysa sa koleksyon, di ko na problema yun. Problema na yan ng kasalukuyang liderato,” he added.
Padilla and Garin were sued by PhilHealth interim president Celestina Ma. Jude dela Serna over the alleged diversion.
Dela Serna is being investigated for her alleged excessive travels and allowances.