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Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) chief Dante Gierran said on Tuesday, January 26, that the state health insurer has already liquidated 92% of P15 billion “stolen funds” that its former executives were accused of pocketing.

“Sa totoo lang po, hindi nawawala. Andiyan lang, on record po. Ang utos po ng Senado at ng lower house ay sabi i-liquidate,” Gierran said in an online briefing when asked about the status of the missing funds.

(Truth is, it was not missing. It was there, on record. The directive of the Senate and the lower House was to liquidate it.)

“Sa ngayon po ay 92% na ang liquidated. Kokonti na lang po sir. I will not allow that na ‘yung pera ng Filipino ay mawala. Galing ako sa NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) po. Hindi puwede mangyari ‘yan,” he added.

(As of now, 92% has already been liquidated. There’s only small amount left. I will not allow that money of the Filipinos to be stolen. I came from NBI. That will not will allow that to happen.)

In a Facebook post on Monday, March 8, PhilHealth said that it had already liquidated 95% of the allegedly missing funds. 

“Napunta po ito sa 711 na ospital bilang ayuda sa pandemya at para mapanatili silang bukas para sa mga pasyenteng nangangailangan,” it said.

(The funds went to 711 hospitals as cash aid during the pandemic and for them to remain operational for patients in need.)

The state health insurer also provided an itemized liquidation per region, noting that the funds were “properly liquidated.”

Gierran, a former NBI chief, replaced retired general Ricardo Morales who was asked to resign from his position as PhilHealth chief due to his health condition. Gierran’s appointment, however, drew public ire after he admitted knowing nothing about public health and the operations in PhilHealth.

PhilHealth was embroiled in a corruption scandal after its former anti-fraud officer Thorrsson Montes Keith claimed in a Senate inquiry in August 2020 that executives of the embattled agency might have pocketed around P15 billion through fraudulent schemes. (READ: CHEAT SHEET: Alleged PhilHealth anomalies uncovered in Congress probes)

Several top PhilHealth officials, including Morales, are now facing administrative charges. – Rappler.com