A group of lawyers, doctors, and health advocates filed a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman against Executive Secretary Ralph Recto and former PhilHealth president Emmanuel Ledesma Jr., alleging graft, technical malversation, and plunder over the transfer of P60 billion to the national treasury.
The complainants argued the funds could have been used to improve PhilHealth benefits, citing potential losses in interest earnings.
Recto maintained that the government fully complied with a Supreme Court ruling restoring the PhilHealth funds and reiterated his innocence, saying no criminal liability attaches to him for acting in accordance with the law.
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa added that the complaints are unlikely to prosper since Recto and Ledesma were following provisions of the 2024 General Appropriations Act.
Both officials said they would not let “political noise” distract them from improving government services.
Source: PhilNews24 | January 16, 2026
