CCMC official suspended to pave the way for probe

CEBU, Philippines - The City Legal Office is set to serve today the order for the preventive suspension of Lourdes Archua, credit officer of the Cebu City Medical Center, who was involved in the release of the 28 checks lost to fraud last May.

Archua will be suspended for 60 days while investigation is in progress.

City Attorney Joseph Bernaldez said that they have to place Archua under preventive suspension because evidence against her are strong based on their initial investigation.

The order has been ready since yesterday, but is still pending the approval of Mayor Michael Rama, who is yet to sign today.

Archua was the first to be suspended because evidence gathered so far suggest that her absence is needed to prevent alteration of future evidence that will lead to the closure of the case.

“We have sufficient grounds we found for this person to be preventively suspended.

“Preventive suspension by the way is not a penalty. It is only a measure aimed to prevent the subject of investigation from keeping her hands on the case.

“Basin n’ya makasugo s’ya sa iyang mga tawo diha nga dili magpataka og sulti which will affect the investigation,” Bernaldez said.

Archua personally released the checks issued by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth) to a certain Concha Ruth Adlawan, who claimed to be a Philhealth employee but was later found not connected with the corporation.

She released the checks last May 4 after two other persons, a certain Kristine and a Mary Ann Garcia who also introduced themselves as Philhealth employees, called her to inform that Philhealth had a systems change so the checks must be collected back to be stamped with Philhealth seal, otherwise it will not be honored by the bank.

Putting only Archua under suspension does not mean that other employees of CCMC, including hospital chief Myrna Go, whose names came out in the investigation are already off the hook, Bernaldez said.

“It is just that sa among tan-aw, wala pa’y ebidensya nga mutumbok og maayo kang Dr. Go. But she is not yet off the hook. Anyway, naa pa ta sa sugod, we will find out later kung kinsa gyud ang involved niini,” he said.

Bernaldez, who is part of the investigation team created by Mayor Rama, said there are many angles being looked into to pinpoint the persons responsible for the fraud.

One of the angles being considered is the possibility of collusion among members of a syndicate operating inside the CCMC.

“It might involve Philhealth and Landbank… possible that these things have been going on for quite a long time already. We never know, that’s what we want to find out,” Bernaldez said.

Though the city government did not lose any amount after Philhealth replaced six of the missing checks and placed the rest under a “Stop Payment Order”, Bernaldez said that the case must be solved to prevent the same from happening in the future.

Last Monday, a City Hall employee, who refused to be named, came out and admitted that he tried to deposit six of the missing checks issued by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. to CCMC.

He obtained the checks from Adlawan whom he paid P80,000 in cash in exchange. The transaction is known as “rediscounting of checks.”

He tried to deposit the checks to his account, but bank personnel were quick to detect irregularities in the check. The checks were returned to the employee’s depository bank and were not negotiated. — THE FREEMAN