Malacañang on Sunday said six Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) regional officers have filed their leave of absence following the call of Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Menardo Guevarra.

In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the officials were not the “mafia” referred to by Senator Panfilo Lacson.

“They were, in fact, referred to as 'heroes' by PhilHealth board member Alejandro Cabading during his Senate testimonies,” he said.

“They chose to go on leave and heeded the call of Department of Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra for those whose names are mentioned in the investigation to go on leave. We consider this as the right and proper thing to do,” he added.

Roque reiterated the call of Guevarra, who heads the PhilHealth Task Force, for those officers under investigation, particularly the members of the Executive Committee (ExeCom) who have been named in the investigations of both the Senate and House, to follow their action and go on leave.

The Senate has been investigating the alleged massive corruption in PhilHealth after its anti-fraud legal officer, Thorrsson Montes Keith resigned citing rampant corruption in the agency. Ella Dionisio/DMS