QUEZON CITY, (PIA) – The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) is slowly regaining its operational footing after the information security incident that affected the delivery of uptime services in the online system and local workstations.
“As we take premium in safeguarding your personal information and upholding your privacy, we have worked diligently to investigate and resolve the matter to protect your data,” the corporation underscored in a statement.
“All PhilHealth employees in the head and regional offices were advised to undertake security measures in order to prevent further unauthorized disclosure and incurrence of copycat attacks,” it added.
In the National Capital Region (NCR), the local health insurance offices (LHIOs) located in the cities of Caloocan, Valenzuela, Manila, Mandaluyong, Makati, Taguig, Pasig, Parañaque, Las Piñas, and Quezon City are now accepting transactions related to membership update request and registration.
“Makakaasa po kayo na kami ay maglalabas ng agarang update sa iba pang systems/services na maaari ng maibalik sa normal na operasyon (Rest assured that we will give immediate updates regarding the systems or services that can return to normal operations),” said PhilHealth, citing its continuous commitment to provide financial risk protection to Filipinos seeking equitable healthcare.
In the meantime, PhilHealth reminded all employers about the existing policies on the exemptions in the imposition of interest for delayed payments caused by internal system issues.
According to the PhilHealth Advisory No. 2023-0030, the circumstances in which the exemptions apply are only limited to the newly-hired employees within the month of September 2023 who do not have a valid PhilHealth Identification Number (PIN).
The exemption also covers those newly-registered employees who started operations in September 2023 but were not able to register for an Electronic Premium Remittance System (EPRS) account which can be used to access online services. The existing EPRS users, on the other hand, with expired or invalid passwords are likewise included in the exemptions.
Meanwhile, those employees who currently have pending requests for additional folders in the grouping module and password resetting in the online facility of their Accredited Collecting Agent (ACA) are similarly exempted from the imposition of interest.
However, employers are entailed to submit the following documentary requirements to the nearest LHIO once the operational services of PhilHealth completely return to normal:
- Properly accomplished PhilHealth Membership Registration Form (PMRF) for the issuance of PIN
- Report of Employee-Member Form (ER2)
- Employer Remittance Report (RF1)
- PhilHealth Online Access Form (POAF) for EPRS registration
- Request letter for additional payment
- Copy of the payroll
- Copy of screenshots for password-related issues
“Rest assured that any delays in the payment for the applicable period of September 2023 under the identified abovementioned circumstances will not be subject to interest,” said PhilHealth President and Chief Executive Officer (PCEO) Emmanuel Ledesma, Jr. (PhilHealth/PIA-NCR)
