By Addison Pascua

PHOTO: Abante

Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) President Dante Gierran became emotional during a house hearing on Thursday as he lamented the criticisms they are receiving amid the agency’s alleged unpaid hospital claims.

“Ito sasabihin ko na po: bugbog na po kami. I open my heart, bugbog na po kami,” Gierran told the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability looking into PhilHealth’s P21.1 billion unpaid claims to hospitals.

According to Gierran, Philippine Hospitals Association (PHA) President Dr. Jaime Almora had apologized to him for “overreacting” on the issue of unpaid hospital claims of the state-run agency.



“No less than ‘yan si Dr. Almora, tumawag sa akin, nagso-sorry po sa akin na he was just overreacting,” the PhilHealth chief claimed.

“Ito sasabihin ko na, ano ibig sabihin ng overreacting? Eh nag-overreact lang pala siya. You see? It’s unfair, mr. Chair, na kami lahat ang mali,” he added.

Earlier, Almora revealed that several hospitals are alarmed by the agency’s new policy on claims payment - PhilHealth’s Circular No. 2021-0013 or the temporary suspension of payments (TSPC) on claims that are currently under investigation.

Almora emphasized that Philhealth has yet to settle billions of pesos in reimbursements, saying that hospitals are worried that their COVID-related claims will be declared as “fraudulent” and the tag could harm the hospitals’ reputations.


Report source: GMA News