Brothers and sisters, amid the current crisis we are experiencing, there’s wisdom in the saying: Health is wealth. Be that as it may, if the allegations being thrown at the officials of PhilHealth are true, they are piling their personal wealth by denying Filipinos their rightful health benefits.
PhilHealth has a long list of alleged corruption activities. In 2015, the former interim president of the corporation spent over half a million on flights and accommodations. When questioned by the Commission on Audit, the aforementioned president said that PhilHealth didn’t have a service apartment that he badly needed in his work. In 2018, a blatant abuse of power and authority by those who run the corporation pushed PhilHealth’s staff to conduct a prayer vigil. In the past year, the issue of “ghost patients” in dialysis emerged, wherein PhilHealth released funds for beneficiaries who are already dead.
PhilHealth funds should be used for the health and wellbeing of millions of Filipinos. But are PhilHealth officials pocketing billions in taxpayers’ money? This is the question buried in the controversies that is confronting the agency. The situation gets worse with the new issues raised by former PhilHealth officials and employees. According to Atty. Thorrsson Montes Keith, former antifraud legal officer of PhilHealth, his investigation showed that P15 billion have been stolen from the agency. He called the members of PhilHealth’s executive committee, who seemed to have been pocketing money from the corporation, the “mafia.”
During the Senate hearings in the past week, one senator questioned PhilHealth for releasing P231 million for 48 dialysis centers and four maternity clinics through the P30 billion Interim Reimbursement Mechanism, a special fund for hospitals that care for persons with Covid-19. The senator added that the process of releasing the funds was suspiciously hastened, especially when it wasn’t intended for these patients. Aside from this, there is the PhilHealth information technology project that costs billions. The corporation allegedly purchased P3 million worth of network switches, with a market value of only P60,000. The COA sifted through a lot of overpriced items in the said project, involving millions that could have been spent for the health benefits of PhilHealth members.
It is emphasized in the Catholic social teaching that corruption brings about great harm to our democratic system. It contradicts not only our moral principles, but also our standards for social justice as well. Corruption destroys the people’s trust in institutions, and this pushes the people to lose interest in supporting the government. In the end, this would lead to the weakening of institutions and become obstructions in the active participation of the people in nation building.
Amid the suffering of our people, including those who perished and those who got sick because of the pandemic, PhilHealth must clear these corruption allegations. Where are the funds intended for its members? Who must be accountable? Will the missing funds be returned? The answers to these questions are needed if PhilHealth wants to regain the trust of the people. The issue involved here is of utmost importance—it is about the health and wellbeing of Filipinos.
Brothers and sisters, like how the book of Timothy 6:10 reminds us, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” Amid all the controversies enveloping PhilHealth, we hope that truth, justice, and the common good will ultimately prevail.
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