President Rodrigo Duterte was so “exasperated” over allegations of corruption in Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) that he ordered another investigation of the state insurer to be led by the Department of Justice (DOJ), his spokesperson said on Friday.

Harry Roque said the President’s move proved his “zero-tolerance policy” on corruption and Duterte’s concern to “find out the truth” about the allegations of irregularities in PhilHealth.


In a memorandum, the President directed Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra to organize a task force to probe the corruption allegations, including an audit of PhilHealth’s finances and lifestyle checks on its officials and employees.

“The President seems very exasperated. Congress has probed PhilHealth so many times but nothing has happened. So he gave the power not only to investigate and try, but to impose preventive suspension on those being probed,” Roque said.

“This is not an ordinary investigation,” he added. “So to the crocodiles at PhilHealth, your days are over. Good-bye!”