‘Pandemic of corruption’

For over three years since our country emerged out of the COVID-19 pandemic, the state-run Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) has yet to settle its outstanding balance of P320 million it still owes the Philippine Red Cross (PRC). It was not a complaint but more of an urgent appeal to PhilHealth as aired by former Senator Richard “Dick” Gordon, chairman and chief executive officer of the PRC, a non-profit humanitarian organization that is engaged in various social welfare services.

In our Kapihan sa Manila Bay news forum last Wednesday Gordon issued this call coming at the heels of resurgence of COVID-19 infection cases in the Philippines due to the latest variants like FLIRT. In particular, the PRC has collectibles from the PhilHealth for the COVID-19 testing services rendered already during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gordon credited the 14 molecular laboratories of the PRC that conducted nationwide testing of people if infected with this deadly and highly transmissible airborne virus. “We were No.1 in testing in the country. Which is why the government sought us for assistance,” Gordon cited. “Without us going into molecular laboratories, the 70,000 deaths (in the Philippines) would probably be about seven million,” Gordon pointed out.

In recognition of his leadership during the pandemic, Gordon recently received a certificate of recognition from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

The award, presented by IFRC president Kate Forbes last May 30, acknowledged the PRC’s successful response to COVID-19, in helping save many lives.

Per record, the PRC had been able to test almost 5,700,000 people who either turned positive or negative for COVID-19 infection. The PRC offered nasal swab RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase reaction) that determines whether a person is infected with COVID-19 virus.

Even while he was at the Senate at the height of the pandemic, Gordon led the PRC in its active involvement in curbing the spread of the COVID-19 infection. Gordon fears corruption creeping in unless the government-run PhilHealth remit immediately the remaining balance of its unpaid services to the PRC. The PhilHealth is one of the government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) created in 1995 to administer the universal health coverage for Filipinos.

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa is currently the chairman of the board of the PhilHealth as an attached GOCC under the Department of Health (DOH). Herbosa inherited the unpaid PhilHealth obligations as the immediate predecessor of former Health Secretary Francisco Duque III. The erstwhile DOH Secretary was the co-chairman of the defunct Inter-Agency Task Force in the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) during the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

Speaking about Duque, Gordon could not commiserate with the present plight of the former DOH secretary who is now facing graft case before the Office of the Ombudsman. Duque was earlier charged by the Ombudsman for his role in the transfer of P47.6 billion from the DOH to the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM), P12.5 billion of which were for the purchase of alleged “over-priced” face masks, personal protective equipment (PPEs), and other anti-COVID materials supplies in 2020.

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Report that Gordon submitted to the Ombudsman was the basis of the graft case against Duque, top officials of the DOH, the PS-DBM and corporate executives of Pharmally Pharmaceuticals Corp., and other accused private individuals. As the chairperson of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee during the defunct 18th Congress, Gordon grilled Duque as well as other DOH officials on the questioned award of P12.5 billion contract to Pharmally which had a reported capital of a measly P625,000.

After having conducted 18 public hearings on the questioned procurement contracts of the PS-DBM with the Pharmally, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Report recommended the criminal prosecution of both government officials and private individuals who were found liable for various irregularities and violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

“70,000 Filipinos died of COVID. They were stealing while our people are dying,” Gordon deplored.

A lawyer by profession and a veteran lawmaker, Gordon impleaded ex-president Duterte in the graft charges. As the incumbent President at that time, our country’s Constitution grants immunity from suits while the sitting Chief Executive is in office.

Thus, Gordon failed to secure majority of the Blue Ribbon Committee that is composed of almost the entire 24-man Senate. Several Senators, especially those belonging to the pro-administration coalition bloc, argued on this constitutional principle on the presidential immunity from suits. The majority bloc included administration-backed Senators Francis Tolentino, Ronald dela Rosa and Mr. Duterte’s former Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Christopher “Bong” Go.

Gordon believed then and even up to now, the Senators did not weigh in to the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Report on the Pharmally because of self-preservation. Coming towards the campaign period for the May, 2022 presidential elections, several incumbent Senators, including Gordon were running then as candidates. True enough, then president Duterte singled out Gordon in a negative campaign that led to the Senator losing to the 12-Senate race. He landed No.23.

Gordon was only able to get nine Senators to sign his Senate Committee Report. A majority vote of 11 Senators must sign a Committee Report to be taken up for plenary session approval. Nonetheless, it did not stop Gordon to submit to the Ombudsman the complete copy of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Report on their findings and recommended actions.

Gordon presented to us a summary of the Senate Committee Report showing in detail the “money trail” of transactions of the PS-DBM-Pharmally carried out over a short period of intervals. Also, the Committee Report included a collection of documents, pictures/photos of Michael Yang as the go-between of the Pharmally to ex-president Duterte. Yang was then the presidential economic adviser who also figured in alleged illegal drugs trafficking trade cases afterwards.

“This was a pandemic of corruption. They are all into it,” Gordon fumed.

Gordon offers his services to prosecute this case at the Ombudsman. But he conceded it is wishful thinking because our country’s laws disallow it.