Sen Hontiveros grills Sec Duque on PhilHealth graft allegations

Senator Risa Hontiveros is investigating Health Secretary Francisco Duque III's involvement in alleged irregularities at PhilHealth, where he has held multiple leadership positions since 2001.

Hontiveros expects Duque, as chairman of the PhilHealth Board, to reveal all he knows about the corruption allegations, noting his long tenure and his obligation to explain his actions.

The senator pointed to specific issues flagged by the Commission on Audit (COA) in previous years during Duque's terms, including excess administrative expenses, unauthorized bonuses and allowances, and dubious claim payments.

These past findings include P490 million in excess administrative expenses in 2004, P1.45 billion in bonuses and allowances without legal basis in 2012, and P7.9 million in excessive representation and transportation allowances in 2018.

Duque also headed the Civil Service Commission (CSC) from 2010 to 2015, a period when alleged PhilHealth mafia members were able to evade reassignment due to delayed CSC decisions.

Records show Duque attended 15 out of 18 PhilHealth board meetings last year, suggesting he cannot claim ignorance of recent allegations.

Senators are questioning Duque's silence and inaction amid systemic corruption allegations, including overpriced IT equipment, uneven distribution of the interim reimbursement mechanism (IRM), and manipulation of financial statements.