Ombudsman orders suspension of 3 PhilHealth execs over 'anomalous' IT project

Published November 10, 2020 11:11am By LLANESCA T. PANTI, GMA News Ombudsman Samuel Martires has ordered a six-month suspension without pay of three Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) officials over an alleged anomalous IT project. Ordered suspended were PhilHealth Senior Vice President Jovita Aragona, Acting Senior Manager of PhilHealth IT and Management department Calixto Gabuya, Jr. and Bids and Awards Committee Secretariat Elena Castismo of PhilHealth Regional Office-NCR. The PhilHealth officials are under probe over alleged grave misconduct, serious dishonesty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of service. Martires said the preventive suspension is in accordance with the Ombudsman law. Likewise, the six month suspension order without pay is immediately executory and will not be interrupted within the period prescribed notwithstanding any motion, appeal or petition that may be filed by respondents seeking relief the suspension order unless otherwise ordered by the Ombudsman’s office or a competent court. The suspension order was dated November 5. PhilHealth President Dante Gierran has been directed to implement the order. Back in August, former PhilHealth Head Executive Assistant Estrobal Laborte questioned the bidding process on the IT procurement, alleging that most of the IT contracts were awarded as a single calculated bid, and that almost no contracts were awarded to the lowest bidder. --KBK, GMA News

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