(SPOT.ph) Following the resignation of Ricardo Morales as president and chief executive officer of Philippine Health Insurance Corporation on August 26, President Rodrigo Duterte appointed former National Bureau of Investigation Director Dante Gierran to take over the position. This was confirmed by Department of Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana in a text message to reporters in the evening of August 31.
According to the Philippines' Universal Health Care Act signed by the president on February 20, 2019, the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of PhilHealth should be "a Filipino citizen and mus have at least seven years of experience in the field of public health, management, finance, and health economics or a combination of these expertise."
Who is Dante Gierran?
According to a 2017 newsletter by the Rotary Club of Manila, Gierran graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Accounting from the Rizal Memorial Colleges in Davao City in 1978, earned a few units for a Master of Business Administration from the University of Southern Philippines in Cebu City in 1987, then earned a law degree from the University of Mindanao's International Harvardian University.
His work experience started in 1972 when he was the security guard, bill collector, security officer, and administrative officer for Tardal Security Guards Service for seven years. He later served as part-time professor at Davao City's Agro-Industrial Foundation College of the Philippines and International Harvadian University from 1984 to 1987; then a credit investigator and accountant for Manilabank in Davao City from 1979 to 1990.
Gierran's positions at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) include: line agent for the Special Operations Group in Manila from 1990 to 1991, line agent in Davao City from 1992 to 2001, line agent in Vigan City from 2002 to 2003, and executive officer in Davao City from 1992 to 2002. He also served as the executive officer for NBI Assistaant Director Pedro E. Bulaong, who faced an electioneering complaint in 2007 for allegedly endorsing then Manila mayoral candidate Ali Atienza; and then chief of staff for NBI Director Atty. Nonnatus Caesar Rojas.
Gierran was NBI's Davao regional director from 2013 to 2016 before being appointed the agency's overall director. In a press conference on May 31, 2016, Duterte was reported as saying: "I told him I'd put him there, but on one condition: If you catch one of your agents spreading drugs, I want you to kill him personally."
Gierran formally assumed the director position on July 1, 2016, and took over the post vacated by Virgilio Mendez, who served for two years.
"This is destiny. I did not wish for this," Gierran said in his speech, surprised by the appointment. He also promised that "[he] will make a dent...[he] will not go back to [his] hometown a failure," in response to the president's vow to end corruption within six months.
Did He Really Feed Someone to Crocodiles?
Just months into his new position as NBI chief, Gierran was tied to investigations about the infamous Davao Death Squad that allegedly conducted abductions and summary executions as ordered by then city mayor Duterte. Whistleblower Edgar Matobato, who claimed in a Senate Justice and Human Rights Committee hearing that he was part of the alleged vigilante group, identified Gierran for his alleged involvement in an operation in 2007.
"Hindi pa siya director, ordinaryo pa lang na NBI, magkasama na kami. Almost 15 years kami magkasama ni Atty. Gierran. May hinuhuli kami sa Sarangani Province. Doon na namin dinala sa Digos, Davao del Sur. Hindi ko alam ang pangalan basta pinatay namin. Pero ang pagpagtay di na ginamitan ng dahas. Pinakain namin sa buwaya," Matobato said during the 2016 hearing. He could not remember the name of the victim.
This allegation was immediately denied by Gierran.
"Twenty-six years na po ako sa NBI and in these long years, I have been conducting myself in such ways that I give everyone his due, perform my job with honesty, objectivity, and fairness. Marahil po may hidden agenda ang testigo sa pagdawit sa name ko kasi maraming inggit po pagka-appoint sa akin bilang director ng NBI. Kilala ko naman si Matobato na witness pero never po na sinama ko siya sa aking mga trabaho dati sa Davao," the former NBI director said in 2016.
The Challenge for the New PhilHealth Chief
Prior to Duterte's announcement of the new PhilHealth chief, Senator Bong Go challenged the incoming head to improve the insurance agency's services as well as put an end to the systemic corruption.
"Dapat pilayan ang magnanakaw sa baba. Sabi ko nga kung pwedeng putulan ng daliri isa-isa. Kung nagnakaw ng sampung beses, putulin ang dalawang kamay. Kung sobra pa putulin na ang paa at kung sobra pa putulin na lahat," Senator Bong Go was quoted as saying in a radio interview on August 29. This was also reported by the Philippine Information Agency on August 30.
On August 31, Duterte said in his weekly address: "Si Gierran, he is a lawyer and an accountant. So palagay ko, sabi ko sa kanya, "The next two years will be devoted to fight against corruption. Maghanap kayo nang mapakulong natin para may maiwan tayo sa kulungan ng mga…"
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