With Recto as ES, gov’t won’t return our PhilHealth’s P60 B

Ralph Recto is now Executive Secretary. As such, he heads the Cabinet. He will hold office in Malacañang beside the President's.

- JARIUS BONDOC

Recto will be in position to whisper daily into the President's ears. Among the issues will be the P60 billion he took from our PhilHealth in 2024 when he was Finance secretary.

Most likely, the admin won't ever return it to us.

Recto misused half of our P60 billion to start the Panay-Guimaras-Negros Island Bridges. His counsel admitted it to the Supreme Court.

Yet Korea already lent $56.6 million or P3.2 billion for the project. The admin misspent the loan for the Speaker’s vanity Charter Change. Also for flood works with 30-percent kickbacks.

Recto knew that all along. He was Deputy Speaker up to December 2023, when Congress enacted that crooked 2024 budget. He moved to the Executive as Finance chief the following month to implement it.

When the admin ran out of money, Recto scraped the coffers of government-administered funds like our PhilHealth. That P60 billion could have funded more medical procedures for PhilHealth members. It’s now in the pockets of crooked politicos, contractors, and DPWH officials.