Bishop Broderick Pabillo, apostolic administrator of the Manila archdiocese, expressed hope that there will be no cover-up in the investigation being done on alleged anomalies in the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation or PhilHealth.
Bishop Pabillo said people are hoping to discover the truth behind the large-scale corruption allegation.
“Let us hope and pray that there is no cover-up, that those responsible be held accountable,” said the bishop.
PhilHealth is now the subject of scrutiny over allegations that about 15 billion pesos of the agency’s funds have been pocketed by its top officials.
A task force has been created by the national government to look into the alleged irregularities hounding the state health insurer.
Bishop Pabillo described the scandal as “outrageous,” especially at a time of a global health crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Where is the care for the common good here? There’s so much injustices being discovered now,” he said.
The prelate also called for the “cleansing” of the PhilHealth system and for it to be entrusted to “trustworthy and competent people.”
In 2019, the National Bureau of Investigation filed anti-graft complaints before the Justice department against 21 PhilHealth officials in connection with alleged “ghost dialysis treatments.”
The bishop also called for accountability in the alleged “overpriced” personal protective equipment procured by the Department of Health to protect healthcare workers from Covid-19.
“What happened to them? Just asking,” he said.
