Sen. Pangilinan, youth group oppose new PhilHealth chief's appointment

Senator Francis Pangilinan expressed reservations about the appointment of Dante Gierran, former NBI director, as the new president and CEO of PhilHealth, citing Gierran's lack of public health background.

A youth group, Akbayan Youth, has also strongly opposed Gierran's appointment, echoing concerns about his inexperience in public health and medicine.

Akbayan Youth chair Dr. RJ Naguit stated that Gierran's admitted fear and lack of knowledge in finance are not reassuring for PhilHealth members.

Gierran replaced Ricardo Morales, who resigned due to a medical condition amidst investigations into alleged P15 billion fraud and other anomalies at PhilHealth.

Despite admitting his unfamiliarity with PhilHealth's operations and public health management, Gierran, a certified public accountant and lawyer with a long record in the NBI, has taken on the role.

Akbayan Youth highlighted that Gierran's appointment may contradict the Universal Healthcare Law signed by President Duterte.