President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. defends the scrapping of the P74B government subsidy to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth).
The president said Philhealth still has P500B reserved fund contrary to earlier reports saying the reserved fund reached P600B.
In an interview Marcos said, Philhealth can carry on with its mandate even with the “zero budget” on subsidy under the 2025 National Budget.
” The Philhealth has sufficient budget to do all of the things that they want to do” Marcos said.
Marcos added that one of the reasons why the Department of Finance withdrew the subsidy amount is that Philhealth cannot use the money and it will just remain in the banks.
” The reason why we do not want to subsidize is yung subsidy uupo lang yan doon sa bank account ng Philhealth hindi magagamit . Eh marami tayong pag-gagamitan non” the president emphasized.
Marcos admitted Philhealth has no problem on funds but they have difficulties in implementing their expanded programs.
The president observed that Philhealth has problem on their ‘processing capacity’ another reason that many transactions are pending in their systems.
He advised the agency to go on full digitalization so that all claims are immediately processed.
The president made the reaction after the Bicameral Conference Committee drew flaks for allegedly giving Philhealth ” zero budget” for 2025.
On Monday morning Department of Health Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo told Brigada News FM Manila that the reported zero budget for Philhealth is actually a fake news.
Domingo clarified that under the 2025 National Budget, only the P74B subsidy was removed as Philhealth still has P284B for their operational fund of which P271B is allocated for members’ benefits which include payment for their hospital bills.
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.