Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) president and chief executive officer Ricardo Morales eyes going on leave amid the corruption allegations and investigation in the state-run insurer.
“It’s just a suggestion, but yes, I am considering,” Morales said when asked if is willing to go on leave as suggested by some senators who called to investigate the alleged anomalies in PhilHealth.
“There is an investigation being conducted, and we will just wait for the outcome,” he added.
He, however, said immediately replacing officials in the agency would not eliminate the corruption in PhilHealth.
“Even if you change the PhilHealth president every week, this problem will not be stopped,” he said in a virtual press conference Sunday.
Morales added the “deep-seated and long(-running)” anomalies at PhilHealth has no instant solution, even if the corrupt would be identified and punished.
“In fact, a rapid and wholesale turnover of executives will exacerbate, not mitigate the problem. Resolution will not appear overnight. Reform does not happen overnight,” he said.
The PhilHealth CEO believed corruption could only be addressed by implementing an information system.
“If PhilHealth wants to reduce its losses to fraud and efficiencies by developing a robust information system, it can spend up to P19.6 billion and still come out ahead,” Morales said.
However, PhilHealth’s 2018-2020 Information Systems Strategic Plan is uncertain as it only has a P327.8-million approved budget for implementation.
“There are only six months remaining in the program,” Morales said.
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Malacañang said Friday President Rodrigo Duterte already ordered to probe the alleged corruption inside the agency.
Palace spokesperson Harry Roque said Undersecretary Jesus Melchor Quitain of the Office of the Special Assistant to the President would lead the investigation.
The inquiry would cover former PhilHealth anti-fraud legal officer Thorrsson Montes Keith who filed his resignation yesterday due to the “widespread corruption” in the state-owned insurer. Roque added he received a copy of Keith’s resignation letter.
“We view the allegations of Mr. Keith as a serious matter and therefore enjoin him, and other officials, to cooperate with the ongoing investigation,” Roque added.
A Senate investigation is also underway, said Senator Panfilo Lacson.
“I am now drafting a resolution calling for a Senate Committee of the Whole inquiry,” Lacson said in a message to reporters.