BY ARGYLL GEDUCOS
Malacañang confirmed that six PhilHealth regional officers have filed their leave of absence as the investigations on the alleged corruption in the agency continue.
In a statement, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque, however, said that the six officials were not part of the so-called “mafia” in the state health insurance corporation.
“These six officials, however, are not the “mafia” referred to by Senator Panfilo Lacson,” he wrote in his statement on Sunday.
“They were, in fact, referred to as ‘heroes’ by PhilHealth board member Alejandro Cabading during his Senate testimonies,” he added.
Roque, however, said that the move of the said PhilHealth officials was the right thing to do.
“They chose to go on leave and heeded the call of Department of Justice (DoJ) Secretary Menardo Guevarra for those whose names are mentioned in the investigation to go on leave,” he said.
“We consider this as the right and proper thing to do,” he added.
The Palace official, meanwhile, reiterated the DoJ’s appeal to those who were named in the investigation to follow what their colleagues did.
“The Palace reiterates the call of the DOJ Secretary, who heads the PhilHealth Task Force, for those officers under investigation, particularly the members of the Executive Committee (ExeCom) who have been named in the investigations of both Senate and House, to follow their action and go on leave,” Roque said.
PhilHealth is the subject of many investigations over alleged corruption activities, including one by a task force led by the DoJ as ordered by President Duterte.
Embattled PhilHealth president Ricardo Morales has filed a medical leave but Malacañang said that the investigation on the agency will continue.
According to Roque, President Duterte still trusts Morales but the Chief Executive is still waiting for the result of the task force.
He added that the President did not want to put any more pressure on Morales who is already fighting cancer while battling corruption allegations. (Argyll Cyrus B. Geducos)
