Pinaiimbestigahan ni Senator Leila de Lima ang kasunduan sa pagitan ng Philippine Red Cross (PRC) at ng Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).

Idinahilan ni de Lima, may prima facie na kaugnay ng alegasyon ng impropriety laban kay PRC chairman at Senator Richard Gordon upang magarantiya ang pagsasagawa ng pagsisiyasat kaugnay ng pinasok na kasunduan nito.

Ikinatwiran ni de Lima, dapat na sagutin ni Gordon ang nasabing alegasyon bilang pinuno ng PRC.

Si Gordon ay chairman din ng Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.

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Hindi aniya maitatanggi ni Gordon ang mga iregularidad sa nasabing kasunduan.

Una, bilang chairman ng Senate Blue Ribbon Committee ay patuloy pa ring iniimbestigahan ni Gordon ang PhilHealth kaugnay ng memorandum of agreement (MoA) nito sa PRC, ayon kay de Lima. Si Gordon ang nakapirma sa MoA. “That is a clear conflict of interest,” reklamo ni de Lima.

Ikalawa, bilang isa sa government-owned and-controlled corporation (GOCC) ay hindi makapapayag ang PhilHealth na makapagbigay ng advance na bayad dahil salungat ito sa umiiral na batas. “Yet, it was included in the MoA. In fact, P100 million was paid upfront upon execution of the MoA,’’ puna ni de Lima

Ginamit na dahilan ni de Lima ang Bayanihan to Heal as One Act na nagsasabing hindi pinawalang-saysay o sinuspindi ang mga probisyon ng State Auditing Code na nagbabawal na magbayad nang advance kahit walang basbas ang pangulo.

Hindi rin aniya maitatanggi na ang batayan para sa advance payment agreement ay ang Interim Reimbursement Mechanism (IRM).

Sa ilalim ng PhilHealth Circular 2020-0007, limitado lamang ang IRM sa Health Care Institutions (HCIs) na direktang tinamaan ng unexpected event na may maliwanag at pakay sa patuloy na [ag-operate.

“’The PRC does not fall under this qualification,’’ ayon kay de Lima.

Nauna nang inamin ni dating PhilHealth executive lawyer Rodolfo del Rosario, Jr. na ang nasabi nilang MoA sa PRC ay hindi saklaw ng IRM, sabi ni de Lima.

“The apparent intent is for the MoA to be an agreement different from the IRM agreements under PhilHealth Circular 2020-0007. The MoA itself provides for a “prospective payment mechanism. What then is the statutory basis for agreeing to advance payments?’’ pagtatanong ng senador.

Ikatlo, ang report aniya ni Gordon ay isa lamang halimbawa na naglagay sa balag ng alanganin sa liderato ng PhilHealth na pinamumunuan ng dating chairman at Chief Executive Officer nito na si Ricardo Morales.

“These PhilHealth officials are the very same officials with whom the PRC negotiated the MoA. Mr. Morales and his fellow officers are now facing administrative and criminal charges recommended by Task Force PhilHealth and approved by no less than President Duterte,’’ pagdidiin nito.

“’We should investigate whether the questionable provisions in this MoA are repeated in other agreements entered into by PhilHealth. Even as many hospitals feel the pinch of having to wait for PhilHealth reimbursements for their COVID-19-related expenses, we see some institutions favored by not just prompt but advanced payments agreed to in spite of clear statutory prohibitions,’’ paglalahad pa ni de Lima.