(Eagle News)–PhilHealth chief Ricardo Morales was one of 14 officials who signed a bank secrecy waiver amid the ongoing probes into the allegations of corruption in the state insurer.
This is according to Anakalusugan Party-list Rep. Mike Defensor, who presided over the inquiry of the House Committee on Public Accounts and of Good Government and Public Accountability on the allegations made by Thorrsson Montes Keith, a PhilHealth anti-fraud officer who resigned in July citing corruption as one of his reasons.
Apart from the House, the Senate, the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission, and the Department of Justice, among others, are conducting separate inquiries.
According to Defensor, aside from Morales, the following officials have signed the waiver, which means authorities can check their bank accounts as part of ongoing probes:
- EVP COO Arnel De Jesus
- SVP Atty. Rodolfo Del Rosario Jr.
- SVP Dennis Mas
- SVP Renato Limsiaco Jr.
- SVP Israel Francis Pargas, MD
- SVP Jovita Argona
- Acting SVP Nerissa Santiago
- VP Oscar Abadu
- Corporate Sec. Atty. Jonathan Mangaoang
- VP Shirley Domingo, MD
- Area VP Walter Bacareza
- Area VP Francisco Soria, MD
- Senior Manager Bernadette Lico
During a previous hearing, several PhilHealth officials had agreed to sign the waiver.
Earlier, six PhilHealth regional officers went on leave, a move described by Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque as having been done in response to Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra’s call for the same amid the ongoing inquiries.
These PhilHealth officials were identified as regional vice presidents Paolo Johann Perez (Mimaropa), Valerie Anne Hollero (Western Visayas), Datu Masiding Alonto Jr. (Northern Mindanao), Khaliquzzman Macabato (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao), Dennis Adre and William Chavez in media reports.
Roque said they were not among the members of a “mafia” described by Senator Panfilo Lacson, but were in fact referred to as “heroes” by PhilHealth board member Alejandro Cabading during a Senate hearing.
Keith has alleged PhilHealth’s “mafia” had pocketed around P15 billion in funds, an allegation denied by the state insurer.
Authorities are also looking into allegations the IT system allegedly aimed at curbing fraud and proposed by PhilHealth was overpriced.
Morales has denied these allegations.