Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 11) — Even minors and individuals below 60 years old have been wrongfully listed as “senior citizens” in the database of the embattled Philippine Health Insurance Corporation.
On the second day of the Senate probe on controversies hounding the state health insurer, Senator Francis Tolentino pointed out that there were active senior citizen members listed in the system even if they were as young as 3 years old to 18 years old.
“Meron 18 years old ginawang senior citizen. Meron dito 3 years old ginawa niyong senior citizen,” Tolentino told the panel Tuesday.
[Translation: We have an 18-year-old listed as a senior citizen. We also have a 3-year-old, and you made her a senior citizen.]
PhilHealth chief Ricardo Morales himself admitted that this is among the “never-ending challenge” of cleansing and updating their membership system, which has been prone to error due to external circumstances.
During last week’s hearing, Morales bared that there are over active 5,000 PhilHealth members who are even beyond 100 years old, but are still part of their database.
But Tolentino noted Tuesday that there are actually over 40,000 listed “centenarians” in one region alone.
“Buhay pa sila Apolinario Mabini, Emilio Aguinaldo, US President Mckinley. Sa China, meron pang Xing Dynasty. Pero registered po ito sa PhilHealth?” he said, pointing to beneficiaries who were supposedly born as far back in 1899 and 1900.
[Translation: Even Apolinario Mabini, Emilio Aguinaldo, US President Mckinley were alive then. In China, there was Xing Dynasty. But these beneficiaries were already registered in PhilHealth?]
Morales then answered that they already tagged the supposed names, even without verification whether they’re dead or alive.
“We recognize, ito as an anomaly…kung meron ho magke-claim sa cohorts na ito, hindi ho namin babayaran unless macheck namin ang identity.”
[Translation: We recognize this as an anomaly…if there are those who would claim benefits under these cohorts, we will not pay them unless we verify their identity.]
Morales said they have urged regional offices to coordinate with the Civil Registrar and the Office of Senior Citizen Affairs to reconcile with their data. As for the younger members, they will also reach out to the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Philippine Statistics Authority for further verification.
Morales earlier reasoned that there is a dire need to increase the budget of the agency’s IT equipment to help them recognize irregularities within the system.
In his address to the nation late Monday evening, President Rodrigo Duterte warned that he would get rid of PhilHealth officials who would be found liable for acts of corruption.
“The President said last night that he will go hard on these officials. We expect no less than that,” Senate President Vicente Sotto III said.
