The Department of Health (DOH) assured the public that they still can avail all the benefits from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) despite the “zero budget” allocation under the 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB).
DOH Deputy Spokesperson Assistant Secretary (ASEC)Albert Domingo said members of Philhealth have nothing to worry about their benefits after the bicameral conference committee removed the proposed P74B subsidy fund for 2025.
Domingo clarified that the Bicameral Conference Committee only removed the subsidy but the operational fund for Philhealth is still included in the final budget.
Under the 2025 national budget,Domingo said Philhealth still has operational fund of P284B of which P271B goes to members’ benefits and hospital billings, P12B for employees’salaries and wages and P300M for repair and purchase of equipment.
What was removed according to Domingo was the government subsidy for the agency which in anyway could not affect the members’ benefits.
“Patuloy ang mga serbisyo ng Philhealth, patuloy ang pagbayad sa mga ospital, sa mga hospital bills dahil hindi naman po mawawalan ng pera ang Philhealth” Domingo said.
Domingo confirmed that Philhealth has still enough reserved funds to sustain its operations and finance the benefits of all its members but they will submit to the final decision of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
He added that the DOH will not ask President Marcos to restore the scrapped subsidy amount but they will submit whatever is his the decision on the issue.
“Mahirap humiling na dagdagan ang pera kung alam mong puno pa yong bangko natin, that would be intellectual dishonesty, borderline corruption kung alam natin na punong puno ang bangko natin tapos hihingi pa tayo ng dagdag na pera” Domingo stressed.
Philhealth is an attached agency under the health department.
It can be recalled that Senator Grace Poe, sponsor of the 2025 National Budget in the senate had said that Philhealth still has P600B reserved funds that can be used to finance their operations.
Abner is an award-winning journalist. He received the prestigious 2015 Titus Brandsma Award for Community Communication in the Philippines and participated in the 2016 International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) of the United States of America, sponsored by the US Embassy in the Philippines. Founder of WATCH NORTH COTABATO, a media-citizens’ transparency group. He worked as a correspondent for the Philippine Daily Inquirer and CNN Philippines. His experience in broadcasting includes anchoring for Brigada News FM in Kidapawan and General Santos City and Brigada News TV. He anchors Tira Brigada via 105.1 Brigada News FM Manila, Mondays-Saturdays.