THE Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) in Davao Region clarified that it has not committed any violation, especially the Freedom of Information (FOI) law, when it did not immediately act on the request for documents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)-Davao.
This came after PhilHealth submitted to NBI the memorandum issued by former PhilHealth president and chief executive officer Ricardo Morales that all requests for documents must be coursed through the PhilHealth central office (PCO).
Hector Zenon Leonardo Malate, acting Philhealth-Davao regional vice president, said in a phone interview last Friday, September 4, that it is natural for Morales to order to course through all communication requesting for any documents to the central office since it is supposed to be the "repository of all cases for filing" against the agency.
“I think this memorandum issued by former president (Morales) in 2019 is in relation to the offshoot investigation made by the Senate against PhilHealth last August 2019, if you remember it,” Malate said.
“So I think, Senator Gordon directed the central office, particularly Gen. Morales to coordinate or cooperate with the NBI because yun na nga, siguro ang reason ni presidente (Morales) kasi it was also an instruction ng president (Morales) na lahat ng regional offices before nila i-release ang mga documents ike-clear muna ng central office, kasi supposedly dapat ang repository ng mga pag-file ng mga kaso is dapat nasa central office, kasi as what I understand lahat ng mga documents na hinihingi ng NBI is ang central office ang nagbibigay sa NBI central office,” he said.
Malate said it was, however, during that time when former PhilHealth executive vice president and chief operating officer Ruben John Basa sent a list of hospitals and doctors subject for NBI-Davao’s investigation and the NBI-Davao wrote a letter to PhilHealth-Davao, headed that time by Atty. Ma. Emily Roque, asking for the documents.
“But the documents they requested was that part of those in the list is the central office kasi ang nagi-investigate noon, so ang nangyari in-indorse nila sa central office yung letter ng NBI asking the central office to endorse to us the documents requested by NBI-Davao,” Malate said.
He added that a month later when the NBI-Davao wrote to them for additional documents, they showed the memorandum order from Morales stating that they needed to ask clearance from the central office before they could release the documents the NBI-Davao requested.
“But all the documents needed by the NBI-Davao are all ready, clearance na lang ang hinihingi namin sa central office,” he said.
He added that before the Senate and House hearings ended, PCO officer-in-charge Arnel de Jesus issued an order stating that all documents needed by the NBI should be released immediately and be given directly to the NBI, repealing the previous memorandum issued by Morales.
“So wala po talagang violation of Freedom of Information kasi we are both government agencies naman eh, and lahat naman nang hinihingi nila is for investigation and we are cooperative naman sa kanila,” he added.