The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation has temporarily shut down its system following a hacking incident that it detected on September 22.
In a statement, Philhealth said it is currently implementing containment measures in response to the incident.
“We are currently investigating the matter together with concerned government agencies, including the Department of Information and Communications Technology, to assess its extent,” said Philhealth President and CEO Emmanuel Ledesma Jr.
Philhealth has shut down the affected systems to secure its application systems. The cost of Philhealth’s intangible assets, mainly consisting of software applications and programs, was P264.74 million at the end of 2022, according to the Commission on Audit.
“We appeal for the public’s understanding regarding the matter. Rest assured that we will get to the bottom of this and will institute stronger systems to prevent this from happening again in the future,” added Ledesma.
With the government’s push for digitalization, many member claims are now filed online.
As of September 23, Philhealth’s website remains inaccessible, preventing its members from filing their claims.”