COA issued an order to return P14 million Illegal PhilHealth bonuses

“Commission on Audit COA auditors upholds its finding that the Php14 million bonuses given to the Philhealth Region 12 employees were not within the law meaning illegal.”

The commission immediately ordered Philhealth Region 12 officials and employees to return the Php14 million unauthorized allowances and bonuses received last 20019 and 2010.

Commission on Audit said that the extra compensation have violated the existing rules.

“According to Presidential Decree No. 1597, any amount paid out to personnel of a government-owned or controlled corporation (GOCC) that is not covered by the Salary Standardization Law required the approval of the Office of the President through the budget department.”

In the year 2010, Philhealth's resident auditor has issued notices on disallowance (NDs) towards the following allowances and bonuses:

    Php7.13 M "productivity incentive bonus"

    Php6.71 M "Christmas package"

    Php365,223 "medical and mission critical allowances"

    Php157,982 “medical and mission critical allowance for July to December 2009”

The NDs were affirmed by COA's Region 12 Office in February 2011.

Philhealth officials have filed motion for reconsideration last March of 2011, but Grace Pulido Tan the COA chairperson and Heidi Mendoza Commissioner upheld the auditors' findings.