By John Clifford Lintao
TWO top health officials under fire cited their health condition as an excuse not to attend the continuation of Senate hearing on alleged irregularities. Instead they sent advance copies of their medical excuses.
Senate has already received documents that tend to say that they won’t be available next week for the continuation of the Senate probe. Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) chief Ricardo Morales and executive vice president Arnel De Jesus both submitted their excuses ahead of the schedule of the hearing.
Interestingly, it was not Morales himself who submitted a medical certificate to the Senate Committee of the Whole Friday night. The oncologist who issued the medical certificate who submitted the document to inform the body that the PhilHealth chief is undergoing chemotherapy after being diagnosed with lymphoma.
Due to his condition, Morales, 67, will be immuno-compromised and vulnerable to infections, said the oncologist.
The PhilHealth chief was advised by his doctor to take a leave of absence.
De Jesus, 61, on the other hand, sent his official communication to the office of Senate President Vicente Sotto III, informing the latter that he cannot attend the hearing on Tuesday due to an “unforeseen medical emergency.” He was diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome, hypertensive heart disease, and diabetes type 2, among others.
De Jesus has reportedly been admitted at the hospital since August 5 or a day after the previous Senate hearing, and is about to undergo an angiogram, angioplasty, and pulse generator replacement.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III however didn’t buy Morales’ excuse and advised him to attend the hearing via teleconference if the latter is not advised to go out.
Senator Panfilo Lacson for his part hinted absence at the Senate probe as “their loss.”
“They won’t be there to respond to new issues that the resource persons will raise against them as well as to new incriminating documents in our possession,” he said.
“Having said that, I wish PCEO Morales well in his fight against the big C. In all sincerity, I join his family in praying for his recovery. It is unfortunate that these new corruption issues have exploded at a time when his health condition is at its low point,” Lacson added.