BY: VANESSA BUGTONG
For almost four years, 59-year-old Nanay Lolita has been consistently contributing to PhilHealth.
According to her, it is helpful to have funds ready for hospital expenses.
“We’ve been able to use it whenever someone gets sick,” said Lolita Montano, PhilHealth Member.
The same sentiment was shared by 62-year-old Nanay Soledad.
“Our contributions to PhilHealth have been a big help,” said Soledad Gimango, PhilHealth Member.
However, they couldn’t help but feel disappointed after learning that the agency allegedly planned to allocate 138 million pesos for its 30th-anniversary celebration in 2025.
“I don’t agree with that. That money should instead be used for healthcare,” Montano stated.
PhilHealth was quick to refute this claim.
According to Renato Limsiaco Jr., PhilHealth’s Senior Vice President for Fund Management, the agency initially planned to allocate 37.5 million pesos for the celebration and clarified that it would not be used for a Christmas party.
“As discussed with the board last night, this amount has already been reduced. The budget for PhilHealth’s 30th anniversary in 2025 is now 48 million pesos,” he said.
During a Committee Hearing on Good Governance and Public Accountability held on Tuesday, December 17, Assistant Secretary Dr. Albert Domingo revealed that this proposal had not yet been approved by PhilHealth’s Board of Directors.
According to Asec. Dr. Albert Domingo, Department of Health (DOH), “The board initially proposed 30 million pesos from the 2024 corporate operating budget, but the board rejected it. That 30 million pesos was slashed to 323,000 pesos, allocated solely for postage stamps.”
As a result, the Board of Directors vetoed the 37.5 million pesos budget and decided to reduce the allocation to just a few hundred thousand pesos.
Emmanuel Ledesma Jr., PhilHealth President and Chief Executive Officer, emphasizes that, “What was approved by the board is now a budget of only a few hundred thousand pesos for the anniversary. To clarify, there’s no budget in the hundreds of millions, or even millions.”
Despite this, PhilHealth officials faced intense scrutiny from senators during the Committee Hearing on Health and Demography.
According to Ledesma, the proposed budget for the anniversary was prepared by a specific committee within PhilHealth, something senators wanted to investigate further.
PhilHealth assured that the agency would be more prudent in utilizing its funds moving forward.
Senators are also planning to investigate the agency’s zero subsidy and its potential impact on members.
As of now, PhilHealth’s projected operating budget for 2025 is 284 billion pesos.
