Yesterday, senators advised the president of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) on how he should respond to the interpellation by Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito regarding the agency's billions in savings, while many poor Filipinos are struggling to access medical services.
During the plenary deliberations for the proposed P6.352-trillion national budget for 2025, Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino and Senator Sherwin Gatchalian reminded PhilHealth President Emmanuel Ledesma to "be a little more humble in his responses."
Ledesma's manner of responding to the interpellation reportedly angered Senator Robinhood Padilla, as several witnesses saw him approach Ledesma from behind the session hall and speak to the PhilHealth president about his "rude and arrogant behavior."
However, Padilla denied this and said, "I have no right to scold any secretary. I just gave him advice, similar to what Senators Gatchalian and Tolentino said."
