PhilHealth CEO and President Ricardo Morales on Tuesday (August 4) denied the irregularity allegations in the agency’s budget for its IT system.
“I think it is a matter of explaining fully to the members of the board the details of the IT system because the information system is very complicated,” he said.
PhilHealth Board Member Alejandro Cabading revealed that the IT Resources in the proposed 2020 IT Budget of PhilHealth reached P734 million. However, this was not approved by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) for the Information Systems Strategic Plan of PhilHealth.
The Internal Audit Report also showed there are overpriced software that have been numerously purchased. An Adobe Master Software Collection, for example, is originally worth P168,000 but cost P21,000,000 in the proposed 2020 National Budget of PhilHealth.
Cabading also expressed dismay over the inaction of the Executive Committee regarding the said Internal Audit Report of the Commission on Audit (COA).
“This is part of trying to cleanse PhilHealth. Bakit hindi niyo ba maintindihan iyan? Ang tagal niyo na diyan. Hindi niyo prinepresent iyong COA audit if you are not being asked to? Tapos hindi kayo nagbibgay ng financial analysis, (Why can’t you understand that? You are not presenting the COA audit if you are not being asked to? You also have not provided any financial analysis)” he said.
Morales, however, said there are no irregularities since PhilHealth’s information database needs to be boosted which explains the P2.1 billion proposed budget. Boosting the agency’s database would also prevent any fraudulent schemes.
“Hindi po niyan maiiwasan na dapat ayusin ang information system kung gustong mabawasan significantly iyong fraud at saka iyong inefficiencies sa PhilHealth po, (Fixing the information system cannot be avoided if we want to lessen fraud by a significant amount, this also includes the inefficiencies in PhilHealth)” Morales said. AAC (with reports from Harlene Delgado)
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