PhilHealth IT system vulnerable to fraud, says PACC

Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) Commissioner Greco Belgica revealed that PhilHealth's weekly payouts of P2 billion to P3 billion are vulnerable to corruption due to a lack of validation in its IT system.

PhilHealth chief information officer Jovita Aragona admitted that the agency's IT system is not absolutely "fool-proof", stating that it is still possible for the government to be defrauded through the system.

Belgica suggested that PhilHealth President and CEO Ricardo Morales should be removed from his post to address the alleged widespread corruption within the agency.

He explained that the absence of a validation mechanism in PhilHealth's IT system allows employees and hospitals to manipulate claims without proper verification.

This loophole puts the agency's funds at risk, as the authenticity of claims is not being checked.

Aragona's admission came after Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability chair Jonathan Sy-Alvarado pressed her for a clear answer during a House joint panel inquiry.

Sy-Alvarado highlighted that the IT system's vulnerabilities are a significant problem, particularly concerning the delivery of important documents from PhilHealth to hospitals.

Additionally, Belgica noted that PhilHealth's Regional Office has allegedly failed to file 220 fraud cases against a hospital, defying orders from the central office.