PhilHealth officials, workers get P1.44B in bonuses despite huge shortfall — CoA
- Written by Tribune
- Tuesday, 15 October 2013 00:00
A report released by the Commission on Audit (CoA) last Oct. 10 stated this which also disallowed all the said bonuses “for lack of legal basis.”
The government auditors said in its report the PhilHealth management has ignored repeated warnings to stop paying its personnel unauthorized stipends based on mere resolutions passed by its Board of Directors.
According to CoA, they have issued notices of disallowance and denial of consolidated appeal of PhilHealth management by the cluster director of Corporate Government Sector (CGS-CoA), management continuously granted the benefits and allowances without obtaining the required approval of the Office of the President.
The fat pay checks of officials and employees included productivity incentive allowance/bonus worth P272.006 million; anniversary bonus, P33.4 million; rice benefit, P106.27 million; educational allowance, P278.89 million; Christmas package, P234.05 million; nominal gift, P10,000; shuttle service assistance, P134.53 million; labor management relation gratuity, P156.92 million; birthday gift, P39 million; medical and mission critical allowance, P23.33 million; corporate transition and achievement premium/grocery allowance, P104.4 million; representation expenses, P32.5 million; and rewards and other claims, P24.74 million.
Likewise, even contractors of the agency were granted “special events gift,” P743,500; project completion benefit, P1,705; gratuity/Christmas package P1.46 million; sustenance gift/rice allowance, P788,400; recognition gift P1.1 million; efficiency/productivity gift, P735,540; alleviation gift, P1.9 million; transportation assistance, P925,748; and medical and mission critical allowance, P68,681.
Not only the top level officials took home the perks because the same incentives were given the same although there was already a warning about the questionable nature of extra-compensation.
“Regional management commented that they extended the benefits by order of the PhilHealth Head Office …(and) that unless there is an order coming from the commission proper denying their appeal, they would continue to grant the same,” auditors said.
But even as PhilHealth personnel took home fat paychecks, CoA reported that the agency posted a whopping P3.68 billion shortfall in “retained earnings (RE)” for 2012, hitting only P115.08 billion against the reserve fund requirement of P118.76 billion.
The CoA warned the viability and sustainability of the National Health Insurance Program is at risk due to the further decline in the RE balance.
The drop was attributed to health cost claims that went up to P12.24 billion last year compared to members’ premium contributions which increased by only P10.57 billion.
Likewise, personnel services and maintenance and other operating expenses went up by P410 million.
Walang komento:
Mag-post ng isang Komento