By John Clifford Lintao
CITING Senate investigation report on humongous pieces of evidence dragging Health Secretary Francisco Duque into the multi-billion anomalies, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto believes President Rodrigo Duterte would finally fire the embattled Cabinet member.
Sotto said Duterte would change his mind about keeping Duque in his Cabinet once he finished reading the Senate report on the multibillion-peso fraud that nearly crippled Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).
“Our findings were very obvious,” Sotto said of the Senate committee of the whole’s recommendations, which included Duque’s removal and criminal indictment for his alleged role in the massive corruption in the state-run corporation.
“It’s impossible that he did not know (about the fraudulent schemes)… He’s the chairman of the (PhilHealth) board, which governs (the state insurer). It’s clear what ‘governs’ mean. Everything is under his control since he’s also the secretary of health,” Sotto said in a radio interview.
Sotto, who had presided over the Senate hearings, had furnished Malacañang and Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra a copy of the committee report.