Senate eyes July 31 or August 3 as starting dates for PhilHealth probe
MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Tito Sotto on Monday said that hearings for the upper chamber's investigation into Philippine Health Insurance Corporation could begin either later this week or early next week.
While Sotto said the investigation into the state-run agency could start as soon as Friday, he believes it would be best to have have the first hearing on Monday, August 3, instead.
He added that "as best as possible," those invited to the hearings would be physically present as the Senate's offices are now equipped with the necessary partitions to maintain social distancing.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson last Friday announced that a Senate Committee of the Whole inquiry into what he called the "unabated corruption and mismanagement" of PhilHealth would be one of the top priorities of the Senate upon resuming session.
On Monday, Sotto and Lacson filed a resolution calling for the same.
"How can we improve the law that created PhilHealth... to avoid repeating the shortcomings towards hospitals and those in need? That would be the primordial importance of an investigation in aid of legislation as far as PhilHealth is concerned," Sotto said in a mix of English and Filipino during a press briefing Monday.
When asked why the investigation would involve the entire plenary, Sotto said in FIlipino: "The scope is too wide," citing issues surrounding the country's coronavirus-induced health crisis, the agency itself and violations committed by several of its public officials.
This announcement follows reports of three PhilHealth officials tendering their resignations, among them anti-fraud officer Thorsson Keith who cited "widespread corruption" in the agency as one of his reasons.
Sotto and Lacson in their resolution alleged that "rampant and pervasive allegations of corruption, incompetence and inefficiency have systematically impaired the management of PhillHealth to the detriment of the public institution and its members without any remedial measures to improve competency and exact accountability."
They further claimed that these conditions endanger PhilHealth's existence and call for "the Senate's intervention to prevent the corporation's financial collapse."
Malacañang last Friday confirmed that President Rodrigo Duterte also ordered an investigation into the alleged anomalies surrounding the agency after receiving a copy of a copy of Keith's resignation letter.
According to Duterte's spokesperson Harry Roque, Undersecretary Jesus Melchor Quitain of the Office of the Special Assistant to the President will lead the probe.
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