Officials of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) who may be excluded from those charged by the National Bureau of Investigation may still face charges, this time from the Senate.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson said Sunday this is one of the options available to the Senate if its members believe some officials should face charges.
“We’re keeping our options open. Pwede kami mag-initiate ng pag-file ng kaso sa mga taong hindi naisama ng task force. Wala namang magpe-prevent sa amin kung dudulog kami sa Ombudsman bilang isang body, bilang Senado o bilang Kongreso kung sasama ang House of Representatives kasi sila mismo nagsagawa rin ng malawakang investigation,” he said in an interview on DZBB and GMA News TV.
Lacson added the Senate could also ask relevant questions from the Department of Justice once it takes up the DOJ’s budget. The DOJ supervises the NBI, and heads the task force looking into corruption at PhilHealth.
On Friday, the NBI filed charges against an initial batch of PhilHealth officials over corrupt practices at the state health insurer.
While the initial batch did not include Health Secretary and PhilHealth board chairman Francisco Duque III or former SVP Rodolfo del Rosario Jr., DOJ Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the investigation is still ongoing.
“Baka sa second phase ng investigation masama (ang mga tulad ni Duque at del Rosario) kasi may pahayag sila na itutuloy-tuloy nila,” Lacson said.
Also, Lacson cited “inside information” shared to him by Senate President Vicente Sotto III indicating there is evidence to link Duque to the irregularities.
“So mas mabuti hintayin namin yan kesa sa pwede kami magsalita na kapos o kulang ang nirekomenda ng DOJ pero kung hindi pa tapos ang investigation, we might be speaking too soon,” he said.
Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)
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