PhilHealth's new president, Dante Gierran, said he was up for the "gargantuan task" of weeding out corrupt officials from the state-run insurer. The former head of the National Bureau of Investigation, tasked to dismantle the so-called mafia said he was "aghast" at the agency's sorry state.
President Rodrigo Duterte vouched for Gierran as a "brave one (matapang ito)," as he announced the appointment late Monday. Gierran was with the Davao City NBI when the chief executive was mayor. "Go after corruption," Duterte told the new PhilHealth chief.
Cases will soon be filed against the corrupt in PhilHealth, the President said. At least one Senate report said a mafia had long pocketed millions of pesos through overpayments. A 40-bed hospital for one, got an annual budget of P50 million. The mafia also sows intrigue, causing the removal of several of its heads, according to the report.
"All I have to do is to restore the trust and confidence of our people to PhilHealth. Restoring the trust and confidence of our people to PhilHealth is equivalent to restoring the trust and confidence to our governance," Gierran told the President.
"I did not apply for this position, but I know it's a very tough job," he said. "I am a good soldier, I will not back down from a mission. I know it's a huge mission," he said.
READ ALSO:
PhilHealth's New Boss is Ex-NBI Chief after Probe Exposes 'Mafia'
How Powerful Is PhilHealth Mafia? It Ousted Presidents, Enjoyed Lap Dances
Gierran said he received a lot of text messages expressing support. Sen. Bong Go, Duterte's longtime aide advised him to "strike a balance improving services and addressing the perennial issue of deeply-rooted corruption."
The new PhilHealth chief said he was "aghast" at what separate investigations by the Senate and the House of Representatives were able to uncover.
Duterte said corruption must be addressed. "I hope this sad episode in our national life, in our journey towards nation building, will somehow be corrected," he said.
Gierran was NBI chief from the start of the President's term in 2016 until early this year. Before the lockdown, he was tasked to investigate fake news surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. It was also under his watch that the NBI filed a cyberlibel compaint against news website Rappler.
His connection to the President runs deep. During the late televised address late Monday, Duterte addressed him by his first name and advised him not to commit the same mistakes of those who failed to fight corruption.
During a Senate hearing in 2016, a self-confessed member of the Davao Death Squad, Edgar Matobato, claimed that Gierran once fed a man to a crocodile. Gierran denied the allegation, saying Matobato had ulterior motives. He also cited his decades-long record with the NBI.
Allegations of graft amounting to billions of pesos have cast questions on the viability of PhilHealth, especially at a time when millions of Filipinos under COVID-19 quarantine see it as a financial lifeline. The insurer said pandemic benefits would continue. Duterte earlier said those behind graft would be jailed.
this strange new world.