MANILA – A party-list lawmaker on Monday backed the proposal to transfer the supervision of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) from the Department of Health (DOH) to the Office of the President (OP) as it would improve accountability and processes of the state health insurer.
BHW (Barangay Health Worker) Party-list Rep. Angelica Natasha Co said the proposed transfer may also lead to faster claims processing and reimbursements of all accredited hospitals and clinics that will stave off financial distress or collapse.
"May the transfer also result in new packages for senior citizens, persons with disabilities, persons with special needs, and athletes of all ages," Co said.
Co said the OP could conduct forensic financial audits to uncover the corruption and collusion schemes in the PhilHealth systems and field operations.
"We have yet to see criminal prosecutions and convictions resulting from the many investigations and exposes. The corrupt get away with their nefarious deeds. Conspirators and accessories are unscathed, while billions of public funds and private funds are siphoned away in their organized scams," she said.
The DOH and PhilHealth have created a joint technical working group to evaluate the proposal.
The Department of Justice (DOJ), meanwhile, said it has found no legal impediment to the proposed transfer, which is a "legitimate exercise of the President’s power of control” over the Executive department and the offices under it.
“The 1987 Constitution expressly confers to the President the power of control over all executive departments, bureaus, and offices. Corollary, the Constitution’s express grant of the power of control in the President justifies an executive action to carry out reorganization measures under a broad authority of law,” the DOJ legal opinion stated. (PNA)
