The Makabayan bloc of the House of Representatives proposed Thursday the billions of budget allocated to Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) be given instead to public hospitals.

House Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna partylist Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate said that as the budget deliberations on the 2021 national budget nears, his group vowed to fully scrutinize the budget allocation for the state-run health insurance firm, citing the need to have a “paradigm shift” as far as the public health system is concerned.

“Hindi dapat inaasa sa PhiHealth. Pinakamalaking bahagi ng DOH budget every year ay napupunta sa PhilHealth. Siguro ang budget na ito ay dapat dalhin na sa ating primary health care needs,  sa ating pambulikong ospital na taon-taon na tinatapyasan ang kanilang operating expenses, PS and capital outlay (We should not rely on PhilHelath. The biggest chunk of the DOH budget goes to them. Maybe this budget should be used for our primary health care needs, for our public hospitals, the budget of which are slashed every year, PS, and capital outlay),” he said at a virtual press briefing.

Zarate added that PhilHealth funds should be used to establish specialty hospitals that would help the country’s address health service needs in times of pandemic like COVID-19.

ACT Teachers partylist Rep. France Castro said the supposed systemic corruption in Philhealth should prod President Duterte to move for its abolition and fire PhilHealth president and chief executive officer Ricardo Morales and other officials involved in the alleged irregularities.

“Dapat buwagin ang PhilHealth na ito at ang pondo na inilalaan dito ay ilagay na lang sa mga hospital (PhilHealth should be abolished and its funds allocated to hospitals),”she said.

"Nakita naman natin ang kutsabahan ng ilang PhilHealth officials dito sa mga private hospitals natin kaya tama lang buwagin ang PhilHealth. Sibakin mula kay Morales hanggang sa pababa na involved dito sa corruption (We have seen the conspiracy between some PhilHealth officials and our private hospitals that is why it is but proper to abolish the PhilHealth. Ax Morales and his subordinates who were involved in the corruption),” Castro stressed.

Gabriela Women’s partylist Rep. Arlene Brosas also voiced out the same call, even as she questioned the competency of Morales to lead the PhilHealth.

"Hinahamon natin ang Pangulo na sibakin si General Morales. In the first place, ano po ang kanyang background? Sapagkat meron po dyang colatilla, there is  a requirement, kailangan may finance background, dapat health expert (We dare the President to sack General Morales. In the first place, what is his background? There is a colatilla, there is  a requirement, you have to have a background in finance, you should be a health expert to lead PhilHealth),” she said.