Recto signed away PhilHealth’s P60 B for flood works, document shows

Executive Secretary Ralph Recto committed two crimes with our PhilHealth’s P60 billion:

- JARIUS BONDOC

• Malversation, for taking money from members’ health insurance benefits in 2024;

¢ Abetting plunder, for misspending it on fake, faulty flood works of political allies.

There’s a smoking gun. Recto signed an order for both schemes.

Although previously publicized, only now has the document been shown to prove heinous crime. Malversation and plunder are non-bailable and merit life imprisonment.

Groups and citizens separately have been questioning before the Supreme Court the illegal use of our PhilHealth’s P60 billion. Ex-SC senior justice Antonio Carpio, a petitioner, presented the damning document at a forum Saturday.

The P60-billion heist from our PhilHealth and the P1.7-trillion flood works scam have been rocking the Marcos Jr. admin. The two issues now turn out to be joined.

Tied to those was P107 billion that Recto’s Bureau of Treasury (BTr) also took from Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp.

Incriminating is Section 5 of Dept. of Finance Circular 003-2024. Recto signed it Feb. 27, 2024, six weeks after Recto became secretary of finance on Jan. 12.

“Smoking gun,” Carpio branded Section 5. “The transfer of PhilHealth and PDIC trust funds to BTr triggered the release of funds for flood control projects under Unprogrammed Appropriations.”

Carpio stressed: “Clearly, the transfer of P60-billion PhilHealth and P107-billion PDIC trust funds allowed the flood control projects to be funded, and for which DBM released money.”