All 119 million of us Filipinos are PhilHealth members. Private employees, government workers, the self-employed, and uniformed servicemen are payer-beneficiaries. Seniors, PWDs, indigents, and our dependents are covered for free.
In January 2024, PhilHealth increased our contributions to five percent of monthly income—the third increase in three years. We couldn’t complain because PhilHealth automatically deducts from our paychecks.
Those of us earning less than P10,000 began to shell out P500 a month, or P6,000 a year. Those making P10,000 to P100,000 now pay between P501 to P5,000 a month, or up to P60,000 a year.
“We need funds to meet our initiated good changes in PhilHealth benefits,” CEO Emmanuel Ledesma, Jr., justified.
Okay, we conceded. We need more health benefits.
But what’s this? PhilHealth is giving away P90 billion of our money to the national government.
Ang sinungaling ay kapatid ng…
Didn’t Ledesma claim that PhilHealth needs money for benefits? Now, six months later, VP of Corporate Affairs Rey Baleña says, “The unused subsidy from the national government is the subject of this transfer.”
What unused subsidy? Last May, PhilHealth promised to double the aid to dialysis patients from P2,600 to P5,200 a month, or from P31,200 to P62,400 a year. No more out-of-pocket expenses for patients, EVP Eli Dino Santos told Rep. Erwin Tulfo.
The following month, PhilHealth raised the aid to only P4,000. This is inadequate to cover lab work, injections, medicines, and dialysis.
“PhilHealth doesn’t help cancer or heart patients, among the most prevalent,” healthcare reformist Dr. Tony Leachon complains. “It doesn’t even cover blood, urine, stool tests, and x-rays for disease prevention and early detection. Instead of adding those services, it’s subtracting.”
The P90 billion is “extortion,” economist JC Punongbayan, PhD, writes. The 2019 Universal Health Care Act states: “Section 11 – Excess PhilHealth reserve funds shall be used to increase benefits and decrease members’ contributions.”
Low-income earners will be most hurt, adds Action for Economic Reform co-founder Filomeno Sta. Ana. They won’t get their health insurance money’s worth for the P500-P1,000 they shell out monthly.
Indigents comprise 40 percent of PhilHealth members. Under the UHCA, they’re supposed to benefit most from sin taxes on cigarettes, liquor, beverages, and sugary drinks. “How can they if the government grabs PhilHealth’s P90 billion?” Leachon asks.
The nature of their work debilitates the physique and mind of soldiers, policemen, coastguards. Active-duty personnel and retirees need PhilHealth. Taking away P90 billion “may create serious security problems,” ex-senator and PNP chief Panfilo Lacson warns.
The P90 billion is not just a plan. PhilHealth already gave the national government P20 billion on May 10th. Three more transfers are set: P10 billion on August 21st, P30 billion on October 16th, and P30 billion on May 26th, 2025.
That’s in obeisance to Finance Secretary Ralph Recto’s February 27th Department Circular 003-2024. All government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) are to turn over excess funds. It’s in lieu of taxes to fund the government’s 2024 “unprogrammed” budget, Recto says.
Two questions arise:
One, who says PhilHealth is a GOCC?
The Government Corporate Counsel and the Governance Commission for GOCCs may twist the definition. But nothing will change the fact that PhilHealth unlike Clark Development Corp., or Duty-Free Corp., or PAGCOR must remit to the national government.
PhilHealth is our money. Its 1995 charter obligates us to contribute. The government merely administers our money for us.
Two, what are unprogrammed appropriations?
It’s money that has yet to be begged or borrowed—then stolen by the executive and legislature as pork barrels.
For 2024, Malacañang had proposed a P282-billion unprogrammed fund, to which Congress added P450 billion, totaling it to P732 billion—so they can all plunder more.
The Supreme Court is still hearing charges of unconstitutionality of that 250-percent bloat. But there they go again.
The Commission on Audit must rap PhilHealth right away for that P20-billion first tranche. Being a Marcos-admin appointee shouldn’t stop chairman Gamaliel Cordoba from guarding the national coffers.
PhilHealth’s board approved the P90 billion, Baleña says. Thus, complicit too are chairman Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa, directors DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, and private sector designees.
The admin tried to steal our SSS and GSIS contributions for its vanity Maharlika Fund. It backed off when we members growled.
Now it’s targeting our PhilHealth. In October 2024, the supermajority plunderers and dynastic kinsmen will file for re-election. They’ll use our money to buy votes, then steal more starting June 2025.
Jarius Bondoc is an award-winning Filipino journalist and author based in Manila. He writes opinion pieces for The Philippine Star and Pilipino Star Ngayon and hosts a radio program on DWIZ 882 every Saturday. Catch Sapol radio show, Saturdays, 8 to 10 a.m., DWIZ (882-AM).
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of LiCAS News.
