Alleged PhilHealth corruption include questionable purchase of multi-million laptops.
PHILHEALTH CORRUPTION – Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) reflected multi-million worth purchase of two sets of laptops.
The Senate is now probing into the alleged corruption in the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth). The investigation started through a resolution filed by Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Senator Panfilo Lacson.
It involved the implementation of the interim reimbursement mechanism, the information and communication technology equipment worth Php 734 million flagged by the Commission on Audit, and the alleged manipulation of its “financial status,” – the issues which the investigation will focus on investigating.
Several health officials have already resigned and Lacson said they will testify against the anomalies happening within PhilHealth. These people include PhilHealth board member Alejandro Cabading, former PhilHealth executive assistant Estrobal Laborte, and recently resigned anti-fraud legal officer Thorrsson Montes Keith.
In a report from Inquirer, it has been discovered that two sets of laptops worth purchased were worth a total of P4.1 million and P115 million. This is among the most questionable items listed under the proposed P2.1-billion information technology (IT) project.
COA auditors also discovered from their May report that five “ICT (information and communications technology) resources” such as computers, scanners and other items were all worth Php 98 million which is clear overpriced.
“There was really an intent to confuse…by splitting one item into two items by listing different descriptions,” says PhilHealth board member Alejandro Cabading, he is an accountant. Among the items are Adobe Master Collection software costing Php 168,000 per unit but in the proposal, it was a Php 21 million.
Under the proposal are laptops also listed twice to which the units was not indicated but the prize is at Php 4.1 million and Php 115 million per set.
“I tried my best to find a solution to the concerns internally by bringing it up with the board and with the management but the most frustrating part is that management seems to be tolerating these fraudulent acts by their inaction against these executive officers of PhilHealth who are obviously compromised,” Cabading furthered as per report.
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