By Fernan Angeles
THE Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) does not seem to buy the claim of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) which blamed heavy rains over their failure to submit pertinent documents seen crucial in the ongoing investigation of massive corruption at the state insurer.
PACC commissioner Greco Belgica said he has already sent a team from the National Bureau of Investigation to Region 1 where the supposed records were “seriously damaged.”
“I received the report kagabi, mga alas diyes na, pinatignan ko po agad sa NBI at bina-validate… basically tsine-check kung ano talaga ang nangyari doon,” he said.
Belgica said PhilHealth Region 1 office is under investigation over its alleged inaction on at least 200 alleged fraudulent claims, some of them involving “ghost patients.”
He said the damage to documents and computer systems caused by the supposed leak is serious amid an ongoing investigation. “Siyempre this endangers yung mga documents tsaka yung mga computer systems.”
However, Belgica remains optimistic that they have enough evidence on hand, apparently referring to important documents in possession, while admitting that recent cases “could be compromised” in case other documents are ruined by the leak.
“Ang maaaring maapektuhan ay yung mga bagong issues ngayon gaya ng IRM,” he said, referring to the Interim Reimbursement Mechanism (IRM), a system where the PhilHealth pays hospitals and healthcare facilities in advance for insurance claims, to ensure that they could function in crises.
The IRM has since been suspended by PhilHealth, amid issues hounding the payment system, particularly allegations that a bulk of it has gone to favored hospitals.
Belgica earlier stated that PhilHealth has no validation mechanism making their funds vulnerable to fraud and corruption.
One of the 13 PhilHealth officials slapped with a six-month suspension by the Office of the Ombudsman was from Region 1.
Malacañang has already formed a task force to look into alleged anomalies in PhilHealth.
As this developed, the Senate Committee of the Whole has wrapped up its probe over the PhilHealth issue and will now draft its report.