MANILA- The owner of the dialysis center accused of making "ghost" claims to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp (PhilHealth) faced the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Monday.

Dr. Brian Sy, owner of the WellMed Dialysis Center in Quezon City explained to the NBI that former employees of the clinic were the ones supposedly involved in fraudulent claims.

Wellmed Dialysis owner Dr. Bryan Sy explaining to the NBI that it was their former employees who were involved in the irregularities in patient claims. pic.twitter.com/gzp7qD4VZl

— Nikolo Baua (@Nikobaua) June 10, 2019

The clinic was accused of filing "ghost" claims to PhilHealth as revealed by Edwin Roberto, a former employee.

Roberto also faced the NBI Monday for questioning along with Liezel Aileen Santos, the former Philhealth officer of WellMed Dialysis Center.

Liezel Aileen Santos, the former Philhealth officer of Wellmed Dialysis Center, and Edwin Roberto, the former asst manager, have also presented themselves to the NBI for questioning. pic.twitter.com/x7eAarK00b

— Nikolo Baua (@Nikobaua) June 10, 2019

Under the scheme, the clinic receives payments from PhilHealth for dialysis treatments even though some of the patients have long been dead.

• Hit by 'ghost dialysis' scandal, PhilHealth hires fraud investigators

President Rodrigo Duterte over the weekend ordered the arrest of Sy over the nonexistent kidney treatments.

"I tell them, 'Arrest the idiot, bring him to Malacañang'," he said in an interview over Pastor Apollo Quiboloy's television show on Sonshine Media Network.

"I will ask him, 'Tell me the truth and I will throw you to the river.' But he will be extricated, we will not allow him to be drowned," he said.

• Duterte orders arrest of dialysis center owners over 'ghost' kidney treatments

-report from Nikolo Baua, ABS-CBN News