DOJ chief Guevarra hopes PhilHealth officials under probe will go on leave

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Monday said he hopes certain officials of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth) will voluntarily go on leave as the agency faces an "intense" investigation.

Without mentioning any names, Guevarra said he hopes PhilHealth officials whose operations are under investigation or special audit will go on leave.

"They know who they are. If they are not hiding anything, they can take a leave of absence to enable the investigators/auditors to freely complete their inquiry or examination," Guevarra said in a message to reporters.

"Besides, the National Privacy Commission has repeatedly declared that the Data Privacy Act may not be used to hinder the conduct of legitimate government investigations," he said.

Upon the order of President Rodrigo Duterte, Guevarra has formed a task force that will look into allegations of corruption within the state health insurer. He said he will personally oversee the task force's operation.

He said the DOJ team will convene on Monday to finalize a strategy for the consideration of the task force, which is composed of the Office of the Ombudsman, the Commission on Audit, the Civil Service Commission, and the Office of the President.

"The members of the task force are presently identifying which specific investigations or audits, other than on the WellMed issue, could be reasonably accomplished within the limited period given to the task force," he said.

The WellMed issue, which erupted last year, involved a dialysis clinic that allegedly used falsified documents to collect payments from PhilHealth for medical services to patients who had already died.

The National Bureau of Investigation said at the time that it was also investigating the claims of other PhilHealth-accredited hospitals and clinics.

During a hearing last week by the Senate Committee of the Whole, a former anti-fraud legal officer at PhilHealth claimed that top officials had stolen some P15 billion from the state insurer through fraudulent schemes.

An official said PhilHealth executives will file a libel complaint against the resigned officer, Thorrsson Montes Keith, over his allegations.

PhilHealth chief Ricardo Morales had admitted that the agency could have lost P10.2 billion due to fraud in 2019.

Morales seeks medical leave

Earlier in the day, Morales said he is seeking medical leave due to his health condition. According to a medical certificate submitted to the Senate, Morales is undergoing chemotherapy after being diagnosed with lymphoma.

Senate President Vicent Sotto III said Morales' medical leave would not adversely affect the ongoing Senate investigation, which will resume on Tuesday. 

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, for his part, said Morales should resign from PhilHealth so that he could rest, considering his medical condition. Both Lorenzana and Morales are retired military generals. —KBK, GMA News