NBI, magsasagawa ng imbestigasyon tungkol sa Php170 milyon na nawawalang pondo ng PhilHealth

ni Twincle Esquierdo | August 27, 2020

Inatasan ng House of Representative ang National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) na magsagawa ng imbestigasyon tungkol sa nawawalang pondo ng Philhealth na mahigit Php170 milyon, kasabay ng areglo sa pagitan ng PhilHealth at Hospital Managers Inc. na namamahala sa Cardinal Santos Medical Center.

Pinangunahan ni Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga na himukin ng House committees of public accounts and good government and accountability para siyasatin ng NBI ang kaso na nangyari noong 2011 na may kaugnayan sa nangyayari ngayon.

Sa pandinig sinabi nito na, “Let us suggest to the NBI to conduct fact-finding [investigation] regarding this case because I understand this took place in 2011 and under the provision of the Revised Penal Code, I think the prescriptive period will be 20 years,”

Inaprubahan ang dalawang panels na inirekomenda sa NBI “make a study on this matter for possible filing of cases and for the government to collect the uncollected funds from the respective institutions.”

Sa pandinig naglabas ng areglo si Deputy Speaker Rodante Marcoleta sa PhilHealth at HMI noong 2011 na mahigit kumulang Php 70 milyon.

Nauna nang humiling ang Philhealth ng Php 240 milyon sa HMI dahil sinabi ng hospital na ito’y “under-deducted” dahil sa balanse ng isang pasyente.

Gayunpaman, sa halip na i-refund ang nasabing halaga ay nagsampa ng kaso ang HMI laban sa PhilHealth na humantong sa arbitrasyon ng kaso at natapos ng makipag-areglo.

Dahilan naman ng dating Vice President for Legal Sector, Edgar Asunsion ang mahigit Php 70 milyon ay napagpasyahan ng korte.

“After the court has appreciated all the evidence, the court found out that it was just P70 million. That was the purpose of judicial accounting because there was a big difference between what PhilHealth was saying and what HMI was saying,”