Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito urged the government on Thursday, August 22 to put a stop to the planned transfer of another P10-billion of Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) funds to the National Treasury.

The P10-billion is supposed to be the second tranche of PhilHealth’s P89.9-billion “excess funds” that the Department of  Finance (DOF) ordered to be remitted to the government.

As author and principal sponsor of the Universal Health Act (UHC Act), Ejercito said he remains opposed to the transfer of PhilHealth funds considering these are meant to boost the country’s health programs and should be used only for such activities.

Following information that the second transfer is going to push through, Ejercito appealed to the government to halt such move as it would likely derail public health services in the long run.

“PhilHealth, in the first place should have been more proactive in crafting more benefit packages and improving those already existing to lessen the out of pocket expenses of members,” Ejercito said.

“These existence of unused funds is perhaps a clear indicator of a wasted opportunity to do more for our people who desperately depend on the relief brought by our national insurance program,” he stressed.

While he does not blame the DOF in their pursuit of locating idle funds to further other programs of the government, Ejercito said he hopes the government will retain to Philhealth their remaining excess funds.

“Let us give the PhilHealth the means to effectively and efficiently perform their mandate. It can only be done if they possess the funds required to carry out this noble undertaking,” he said.

Moreover, Ejercito said the Senate has just approved on second reading the bill lowering the Philhealth premium contribution starting next year.

As such, PhilHealth would need their funds to continue the enhancement of its benefit packages next year to achieve genuine universal health care, the senator insisted.

“Hangga’t may mga pasyente pang hirap at nakapila, hangga’t may ospital pang mga di nababayaran, hangga’t may serbisyo pang  kailangan idagdag, sana ay manatili ang pondo ng Philhealth para sa programang pangkalusugan (As long as there are patients who are poor and are lining up, until there are hospitals that have yet to be paid, until there are still services that need to be added, we hope they will maintain the use of PhilHealth funds for health purposes),” Ejercito reiterated.