PHIC official breaks silence on accusations

A TOP official of the Philippine Health Insurance Company (PHIC) in Davao Region clarified on Tuesday the issues hurled by employees after what he said was a year of "self-restraint" to talk about what's supposedly an internal problem.

"After holding my patience, and waiting for final action on several legal processes that I've finally decided to take this action against the continuous attacks on my person, my character, and everybody's office - the PhilHealth," said Dennis Adre, regional vice president of the PHIC.

Among the accusations that were allegedly hurled by a former PHIC worker Lawyer Jocelyn Puzon and three others - Bernadith Ipanag, Florence Mananes, and Lady Bee Go - are corruption, harassment and oppression, employing undergraduates, and electioneering.

But, Adre said these accusations are without bases.

He said he had not spoken on the matter for more than a year since these are internal issues and that he would like to keep it resolved within the corporation so as to protect the "greater interest" of the agency.

Adre said the four filed complaints with some other "inappropriate" government agencies, even though PHIC itself has proper venues where these can be resolved.

The three workers -- Ipanag, Mananes, and Go -- filed their complaints against Adre and Germaine Tan, public relations officer of PHIC-Davao, before the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on the grounds of oppression, grave misconduct and harassment in the workplace. A complaint was also filed before the Office of the Ombudsman against Adre.

The complaints filed before the CSC were dismissed. They are still awaiting a resolution from CHR.

Separate complaints were also filed before CSC against Adre by a former PHIC employee Puzon on the grounds of grave misconduct, abuse of authority, oppression, dishonesty, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.

"I humbly apologize in behalf of this corporation by the acts of the four, misleading one or two members of the City Council to entertain to their personal grievances in hopes that the Council will intervene in an internal matter," Adre said.

"That is already in several appropriate, as well as obviously inappropriate offices already. Obviously, this is a disrespect for the mandate of the offices, processes, and not to mention disrespect for themselves," Adre added.

City Councilor Bernard Al-ag, who attended the press conference Tuesday at the Southern Philippine Medical Center (SPMC), said the City Council has no jurisdiction over matters concerning internal issues of PHIC.

"The resolution of these issues are in your hands," he said.

Adre said the issues thrown against him and the corporation stemmed from the performance rating given to the workers by their supervisor, Tan, which was later on validated by him being the head of the PHIC.

Adre said he will take legal actions against Puzon, Ipanag, Mananes, and Go and two other local radio commentators who are persistently attacking him on air for more than a year, although he refused to discuss further on the matter as advised by his lawyer.