Duque appointment as DOH chief faces more opposition

Incoming health secretary and Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) chief Francisco Duque III has yet to assume his post and already, he faces stiff opposition from lawmakers and some militant groups.

Former militant labor leader-turned-lawmaker Rep. Crispin Beltran of the party-list group Anakpawis declared yesterday that as soon Duque is issued the appointment, he will file an "affidavit of opposition" before the Commission on Appointments (CA).

"Dr. Duque has a questionable record, and his appointment (as health secretary) is clearly a reward for services rendered to President Arroyo in preparation for the May 2004 presidential election," Beltran said.

Beltran claimed that Duque masterminded the transfer of P530.4 million in workers’ trust funds from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to PhilHealth in March 2004, two months before the elections.

He said the money was used for Mrs. Arroyo’s election-related free health insurance program and distribution of PhilHealth cards.

To prove his accusations, Beltran referred to a memorandum issued by Duque who supposedly wrote Mrs. Arroyo in 2003 proposing the transfer of OWWA funds to his agency.

Beltran pointed out a portion of the letter in which Duque had informed Mrs. Arroyo that "the proposed transfer will have significant bearing on (the) 2004 elections and on the President’s desire to provide free health insurance to 8M (eight million) indigents by (the) end of 2003."

He claimed the President allowed the transfer of the funds under Executive Order 182.

Beltran added the fund stewards, then OWWA administrator Virgilio Angelo and Labor Secretary Patricia Santo Tomas, even agreed to the transfer.

During the presidential campaign, Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who was then gunning for the presidency, had revealed the same "juggling" of the OWWA funds.

Lacson publicly released a photocopy of the Duque memo. He also disclosed the release of more than P1 billion "fertilizer and pesticide" funds to a select number of congressional districts, including some in Metro Manila.

Migrante International, a group of overseas Filipino workers, also slammed Duque’s appointment, pointing out the controversy surrounding the transfer of OWWA funds to PhilHealth.

According to Migrante secretary general Maita Santiago, Duque as the PhilHealth chief, still owes the OFWs "at least P520 million in losses due to padded or fake insurance claims at the PhilHealth."

"It is clear the Duque and other top officials in PhilHealth gobbled up the P520 million. This is because the claims can only be accessed with top-level approval," Santiago said.

So far, Malacañang has ignored the claims. President Arroyo named Duque III on Wednesday as her new health secretary, but denied it was a form of political payback.

Duque, who would replace Manuel Dayrit, set to leave his post on May 31, also denied his appointment had anything to do with politics, saying it was based on his solid track record.

Duque brushed aside the allegations against him, claiming they were a "mere rehash" of "pure lies."– With Sheila Crisostomo