SENATOR Christopher “Bong” Go, the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health, reiterated his strong opposition to increasing the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation’s (PhilHealth) subsidy for 2025. Go argued that it would be “unfair” to allocate more funds to PhilHealth while substantial unutilized reserves remain in the agency’s coffers.
“Uulitin ko po ang ilang buwan na nating sinasabi: Unfair naman kung tataasan pa ang subsidy sa kabila ng sobra-sobrang pondo na mayroon ang PhilHealth, habang patuloy ang paghihirap ng mga kababayan nating naghihingalo sa pagbabayad ng kanilang medical bills,” Go said.
Go’s position aligns with recent sentiments from Senator JV Ejercito who agreed with Go’s concerns and placed the blame squarely on PhilHealth for its failure to use its existing funds effectively. He suggested that PhilHealth’s inadequate management of case rates and its failure to utilize reserves have created a backlog of healthcare needs.
Earlier, Senate President Francis Escudero also questioned the necessity of additional funds for PhilHealth in the 2025 budget.
Go began his vocal opposition to the mismanagement of PhilHealth funds on July 19, when he criticized the transfer of excess funds to the National Treasury for other purposes, emphasizing the potential adverse impacts on healthcare services.
On July 30, during a Senate Health Committee hearing, Go reiterated his disapproval, confronting Finance Secretary Ralph Recto and other officials with the argument that the transfers were “maybe legally but morally wrong.”
This was followed by further legal actions, including the filing of a Supreme Court petition by Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel on August 2, challenging the constitutionality of the fund transfer. Following this, advocacy groups filed their petitions in October, amplifying the issue.
These efforts led to the Supreme Court’s issuance of a temporary restraining order on the transfer of PhilHealth funds in the same month, reflecting the concerns Go had articulated since July.
“Marami pong natutulog na pondo sa PhilHealth habang maraming Pilipino ang naghihingalo dahil sa mga hindi kayang bayaran na hospital bills,” Go emphasized.
Go’s opposition to additional subsidies for PhilHealth is rooted in concerns over the agency’s management of its existing resources, which include a significant reserve fund of PHP 500 billion as well as PHP 89.9 billion excess funds that was planned to be transferred to the treasury to be used for other purposes if not for the SC’s TRO.
