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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Not the reality': Minority solons hit Marcos' achievement report on health

'Not the reality': Minority solons hit Marcos' achievement report on health

Published Aug 4, 2025 09:53 pm
House minority lawmakers on Monday, Aug. 4, delivered what they called their "Kontra-SONA (State of the Nation Address)" privilege speech, and hit President Marcos' claim that Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) benefits are now better than ever.
The President's pronouncements can't be equated to the reality on the ground, said House minority leader and 4PS Party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan.
"The reality on the ground—especially in provinces—is that many provincial, district, and municipal hospitals still lack resources. Ang totoo, sa maraming probinsya, kailangan pa ring magbayad kahit simpleng gamutan (The reality is that many in the provinces still need to pay to receive even the simple treatment)," Libanan said.
Citing World Health Organization (WHO) data, the House leader said the Philippines only has one hospital bed for every 1,000 Filipinos.
That is far below the global average of 2.7 and the WHO standard of three to five, he said.
"Compare this to hundreds of provincial, district, and municipal hospitals serving most Filipinos, especially in far-flung areas," he said.
While he welcomed PhilHealth's recent clarification that there was indeed a "zero balance billing policy", Libanan called for its strict compliance.
Meanwhile, Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima concurred with Libanan.
She said Marcos' health claims "sounded impressive, until you ask someone who actually went to the hospital." According to De Lima, patients still struggle paying for their hospital bills although PhilHealth supposedly covers emergency outpatient care.
"The President says there’s now a doctor in every town. Good. But a lone doctor, without medicine, without equipment, without trained staff, is not a health system," she said.
"That’s a photo op waiting to happen," added the former senator.
De Lima says PhilHealth's zero balance billing has been around for years, but it is not really being felt.
"Patients still choose not to seek treatment, afraid of the bill that might bury them deeper than the illness," she said.
"If the goal is universal healthcare, then let’s stop pretending we’ve arrived. We’re still stuck in triage," De Lima further said.
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