Press Release - Senator Pia S. Cayetano's statement on the Supreme Court's TRO against Philhealth's fund transfers

I welcome the Supreme Court's issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the transfer of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation's (PhilHealth) unused funds to the national treasury.

This decision shows that there is an urgent need to evaluate the legality of such fund transfers and its irreparable damage to public health.

As Senior Finance Vice Chair handling the health budget for the past five years, I have closely monitored PhilHealth's budget requests and expenditures. For the fiscal years 2021-2023, Philhealth had requested additional budget allocations from the Senate. Thus, it came as a surprise that they suddenly declared that they had excess funds that would be transferred to the national treasury.

While PhilHealth has made strides in enhancing its benefit packages, significant gaps in our healthcare coverage still exist. Many packages for various ailments still leave patients with out-of-pocket expenses. And certain medical conditions remain uncovered. Likewise, the rollout of the Konsulta Benefit Package - which covers outpatient services - still needs sufficient funding.

As such, the unused funds should be effectively allocated within our healthcare system to address these unmet needs, rather than being redirected for purposes other than their intended use.

We must never compromise our commitment to providing quality healthcare services for all Filipinos. Health should always be our foremost priority.