Cayetano: Fire all PhilHealth execs

CEBU, Philippines - Senate majority floor leader Alan Peter Cayetano is calling on President Benigno Aquino III to fire all officials of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. amid non-payment of P200 million debts due to private hospitals in the country.

Cayetano, in a press conference Thursday night here, said the government is giving all the support and a huge budget to PhilHealth in order to address the health of  the poor Filipinos and yet the agency’s officials “were in such a mess.”

“I am calling President Aquino to fire all PhilHealth officials. These people are overpromising and they mess up. Why keep them up there?” Cayetano said.

Earlier, the Philippine Private Hospital Association Inc. threatened they will no longer honor PhilHealth cards due to the unpaid debts of PhilHealth to their member-hospitals for six months already.

“These people must be fired. Alam ko repormista si Pangulong Aquino pero masyadong mabait. By firing some people, we are sending strong message that we are setting a higher standard of public service,” Cayetano said.

Although the senator recognized the efforts of PhilHealth regional officials, he said no matter how good these officials are, it’s the agency’s top leaders that are proving inefficiency and incompetence.

“We have great people in the regional office, pero yung leadership ng PhilHealth, papatay-patay,” Cayetano said.

Cayetano added that PhilHealth has all the money and trained personnel at the regional level, as well as database, and yet when it comes to paying its obligation, he said the agency’s leaders do not know why they are there in the first place.

“Kung sa America may ‘Obama Care’ sila, dito sa atin yung PhilHealth, ‘I don’t care,’” the senator said.

Cayetano also lambasted the agency’s top leaders as many indigent Filipinos are not PhilHealth cardholders until now.

“These officials are giving themselves millions of bonuses and yet when it comes to giving the right services to the people, ang dami nilang excuses,” the senator added. —/JMD (FREEMAN)