Sen. Gordon’s latest report is a Senate version of WHATABOUTISM. Yes, the evidence is clear against the current PhilHealth officials according to Sen. Lacson and the witnesses or resource persons, but WHAT ABOUT those possible cases from the previous administration?! Such a typical play by this administration but ultimately unproductive because IT FAILS TO SOLVE THE PROBLEMS THAT WE HAVE NOW. What it does is take away the conversation from the current issues.
The issues raised in this report was so far off from the issues raised during the hearings one has to wonder whether the good Chair of the Blue Ribbon Committee even bothered to pay attention to the resource persons.
Former Budget Secretary Butch Abad belied all accusations against him. The supposed 10.6 billion pesos allegedly diverted did not exist in the 2015 budget, while the 9.39 billion pesos for Health Facilities Enhancement Programs were properly funded and disbursed in accordance with law.
Former PhilHealth President and CEO Alexander Padilla similarly denied Gordon’s accusations, saying that the alleged fund diversion never happened as there was no such fund in the first place.
The Committee could have saved itself the embarrassment had it bothered to reach out to Sec. Abad and/or Atty. Padilla who are men of honor and integrity.
One has to question the sincerity of this report; whether the real intent is to shield Mr. Duterte’s men in PhilHealth from accountability. The Committee did not even have the decency to invite the persons they are accusing to explain their side. Not only is this a violation of their right to due process, it puts the credibility of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee to question.
The Executive Summary released to the press does not appear to be an output of a Committee who conducted a legislative inquiry; it reads like a cover-up and damage control for Mr. Duterte and his men in PhilHealth. ###
(Access the handwritten version of Dispatch from Crame No. 890, here: https://issuu.com/senatorleilam.delima/docs/dispatch_890)