MANILA (UPDATE) - Another PhilHealth official has quit his post as the state insurance firm faced allegations of corruption that prompted its chief to also heed President Rodrigo Duterte's call to resign.
Rodolfo del Rosario Jr., PhilHealth senior vice president for the legal sector, said he tendered his irrevocable resignation last Monday, signed a bank secrecy waiver and submitted himself to a lifestyle check.
"Ako ay malinis po ang aking konsensiya. Wala po tayong kinasasangkutan na kahit anuman pong anomalya, di po tayo nagnakaw ng kahit anong singkong-duling sa ating pamamahala sa PhilHealth," he told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.
(My conscience is clean. I am not involved in any anomaly, I did not steal a cent during my stint in PhilHealth.)
"We are giving our full consent sa lifestyle check at yung bank secrecy waiver for the AMLC to look into our accounts... we are submitting ourselves to any form of investigation that will shed light on all of these and we are after the objective of clearing our name."
Del Rosario said he quit in order to give way to his successor and to look for another job opportunity.
"Hinahangad natin sa pagkakataong ito na merong krisis sa PhilHealth ay mafill-upan kaagad ang SVP for legal dahil tayo po ay nauuanawaan kung gaano kahalaga ang posisyong ito sa korporasyon," he said.
(This is so the position of SVP for legal can be filled up immediately as I know how important this position is for the corporation during this crisis.)
"Pangalawa, kailangan natin maghanap ng bagong trabaho dahil sa ating financial obligations, we cannot afford to be unemployed for the next 6 months. I cannot work if I’m still connected with government even if I’m under preventive suspension."
(Second, I need to look for a new job due to financial obligations.)
Del Rosario also cited health reasons like his former colleague Augustus de Villa, who previously served as the firm's vice president for operations.
"We have tried to fully cooperate in all of the investigations but yung character assassination, unfair accusation, relentless persecution we experienced ay medyo mabigat po at ito po ay nakaapekto po sa ating kalusugan," he said.
(I have tried to fully cooperate in all of the investigations but yung character assassination, unfair accusation, relentless persecution we experienced are too much and it has affected my health.)
"Hopefully this will help me ease some pressure and help me recuperate," he added, citing that he has hypertension and diabetes among others.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson welcomed Del Rosario's resignation, saying it was "one of many reasons to hope for some good things to come" in government investigations into PhilHealth.
"The paying members and all taxpayers who contribute to the state health insurance fund surely deserve a break from the cyclical corruption involving its top executives," he said.
The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee has recommended the immediate removal of all PhilHealth regional vice presidents from their posts, and urged the executive department to subject all officials of the state-run insurance firm under "regular lifestyle checks."
The Senate is expected to released a separate report on its investigation into the alleged misuse of COVID-19 funds and the attempted overpricing of equipment for PhilHealth's modernization program.
PhilHealth, Rodolfo Del Rosario, PhilHealth corruption probe, Ricardo Morales, Rodrigo Duterte, resignation