Executive Secretary Ralph Recto maintained his innocence, stating that the government fully complied with the Supreme Court’s (SC) ruling by restoring the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) funds.
On Thursday, January 15, health advocates, lawyers, and PhilHealth members filed a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman against former Finance Secretary and Executive Secretary Recto and former PhilHealth CEO Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. The former PhilHealth officials are facing technical malversation, violation of anti-graft laws, and grave misconduct, involving the alleged illegal transfer of the agency’s P60 billion funds under the 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
In a statement released the same day, Recto stated, “The issue has already been addressed by the Supreme Court, and the government has fully complied with its ruling. Consistent with this, funding for PhilHealth has since been restored and even augmented in order to better serve our countrymen.”
He also reiterated his innocence and said that he remains confident that the facts and the law are clear.
“For our part, we will continue to uphold the rule of law, respect due process, and work to uplift the lives of our kababayan. I will not get distracted by political noise. The work of improving government performance and services is my priority,” he said in closing.
