Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III expressed their support on the Senate bill seeking to designate Dominguez as the chairman of the embattled Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).

During a Senate health committee hearing on Monday, October 19, Duque –the current chairman of the PhilHealth Board – said he “strongly supports” the proposal.

“Considering the urgent need to ensure that the Board implements efficient fund management for PhilHealth, we welcome the proposal to strengthen fiscal management measures that should be made possible though chairmanship by the Secretary of Finance,” Duque said.

Duque added that through this, “PhilHealth will effectively deliver the mandate of the Universal Health Care Act.”

“I am a member of 69 task forces, academies, commission, committees, name it. This is just overwhelming,” Duque said, adding that’s why he seldom attends PhilHealth board meetings.

Though this will be an added work to Dominguez’s “overwhelming” workload, he vowed that he will serve in his best capability should this proposal realizes.

“The Secretary of Finance sits on about a hundred boards and committees and really the task of this job is overwhelming…. Definitely, time allocation and time management will be very difficult,” he said.

“However, if that is the wish of the legislature, we have no choice but to implement it,” Dominguez added.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III on September 14 filed Senate Bill No. 1829 which replaces the health secretary with the finance secretary as ex-officio chairperson of the PhilHealth board of directors.

The finance secretary is, by virtue of the position, already part of the PhilHealth board of directors, along with the secretaries of health, social welfare, labor and employment, and budget and management.

Sotto said that President Rodrigo Duterte “agrees” with his proposal. (READ: Finance secretary, not DOH chief, for PhilHealth chair? Duterte agrees, says Sotto)

Duque has faced tough criticism from senators, including Sotto, for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and, more recently, the alleged massive corruption in PhilHealth under his watch.

In April, at least 14 senators called for Duque’s resignation as health secretary for his “failure of leadership, negligence, lack of foresight, and inefficiency in performance.” But the President “has made a decision for Health Secretary Duque to stay put.”

Lawmakers in August investigated PhilHealth for alleged corruption as whistleblowers said some P15 billion ($309.6 million) in funds were pocketed by its executives.

Duque has served the state health insurer for at least 11 years, cumulatively.  – Rappler.com