Senate President Vicente Sotto III said officials in the Philippine Health Insurance Corp (PhilHealth) should be replaced by “good” businessmen to finally combat rampant corruption in the state-run insurance firm.
Although the government had appointed doctors and generals as PhilHealth presidents in the previous years, corruptions still persist, Sotto said in a virtual briefing.
“Businessman ang ilagay mo kasi ang PhilHealth ay negosyo,” he said.
[A businessman should be appointed as PhilHealth chief because PhilHealth is a business.]
“Kung meron kang businessman na magaling, matino na tatanggapin yan… pipiliin mo yung businessman. Hindi mo maloloko sa pera ang businessman,” he said.
[If you have a businessman who is good, smart, and is willing to accept the post… pick the businessman. You cannot fool a businessman when it comes to money.]
Sotto endorsed San Miguel Corp chief Ramon Ang as a good pick for PhilHealth president, although he said he is aware that the billionaire may not want the said job.
“We have to clean it up first… Kailangan matanggal natin pati mga duda,” he said.
[We have to remove the doubts.]
President Rodrigo Duterte will not sack PhilHealth chief executive officer Ricardo Morales unless there is evidence of his corrpution, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque earlier said.
The Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission has recommended filing charges against 36 PhilHealth “high-ranking and mid-level” officials over violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
