SUMMARY
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Lawyer Rogelio Pocallan Jr, Internal Legal Department senior manager at the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), has been released after completing his 4-day detention in the House of Representatives.
House committee on public accounts chair Mike Defensor told reporters Pocallan was allowed to leave the Batasang Pambansa on Monday, August 31, 4 days since lawmakers cited him in contempt during the last hearing into the anomalies hounding PhilHealth. (READ: CHEAT SHEET: Alleged PhilHealth anomalies uncovered in Congress probes)
“Atty Pocallan left the House of Reps premises at 8:06 this morning,” Defensor told reporters.
Lawmakers cited Pocallan in contempt on August 27 after the latter stood by a legal opinion he penned in 2015 in relation to the 3-month suspension that PhilHealth’s Prosecution Department wanted to impose on the erring Perpetual Succour Hospital Inc in Cebu City.
Perpetual Succour was found guilty of overextending the confinement period of patients, but the hospital decided to appeal its suspension before the Court of Appeals (CA).
The CA junked Perpetual Succour’s petition and instead sided with PhilHealth’s Prosecution Department.
Despite the court victory, the PhilHealth board would later issue a resolution reversing the Prosecution Department’s suspension of Perpetual Succour. The board instead ordered the hospital to just pay a P100,000 fine.
The PhilHealth board used a legal opinion rendered by Pocallan to justify this move.
Only a higher court, however, can reverse a lower court’s ruling, and in the case of Perpetual Succour, only the Supreme Court can reverse the CA’s decision.
When legislators asked Pocallan if he still stood by his legal opinion on the Perpetual Succour case, the PhilHealth executive repeatedly said yes, angering the panel and leading lawmakers to cite him in contempt.
The House committees on public accounts, and good government and public accountability are set to hold its next joint hearing on PhilHealth on Wednesday, September 2. – Rappler.com
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