Investigators flag low rate of prosecution of erring PhilHealth employees, hospitals

The Malacañang-backed task force investigating allegations of corruption at the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) has flagged the "low and slow" rate of prosecution of cases against erring employees and health care institutions (HCI).

Task Force PhilHealth said resigned PhilHealth legal chief Rodolfo Del Rosario, Jr. confirmed that only 50 out of thousands of cases in their inventory have led to the filing of formal charges, while another 70 cases have been "processed."

The Department of Justice (DOJ), which leads the task force, said Del Rosario stated that one case against PhilHealth employees allegedly involved around P2.1 billion.

Del Rosario also said that while his office had endorsed 1,003 cases involving HCIs for the filing of criminal complaints, only 11 have actually been filed, according to the DOJ.

The DOJ said public coffers have lost an estimated P4.7 billion through HCI-related issues, including fraudulent claims.

According to the DOJ, Del Rosario explained that PhilHealth's policy "favored settlement over prosecution of cases so as not to dampen esprit de corps."

The erstwhile senior vice president also claimed that regional offices lacked resources to promptly file criminal complaints against HCIs, the DOJ said.

Del Rosario quit his post because of what he said was "trial by publicity" on congressional hearings and his six-month suspension imposed by the Office of the Ombudsman.

“The past days has been so grueling and stressful. The character assassination, trial by publicity, and relentless persecution has left me in so much agony. My six-month suspension was too much to bear,” Del Rosario said in a Facebook post.

PhilHealth chief Ricardo Morales has also resigned.

DOJ Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Task Force PhilHealth hopes to build up cases against the persons responsible for the "mess" in the state insurer regardless of whether they are incumbent or not. — BM, GMA News