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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Ejercito, Go welcome return of P60-B funds to PhilHealth

Ejercito, Go welcome return of P60-B funds to PhilHealth

Published Dec 5, 2025 06:03 pm

At A Glance

  • "The return of the P60-Billion to PhilHealth is a welcome correction. From the very beginning, we made it clear that these funds belong to PhilHealth," Sen. Joseph Victor "JV" Ejercito said.
Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito proposes to have a masterplan for infrastructure and national development, underscoring its significance to the country. During Monday’s hearing, October 20, 2025, of the Finance Subcommittee A, Ejercito asked the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to support Senate Bill No. 2 or the Masterplan for Infrastructure and National Development (MIND) Act which he authored. (Senate PRIB photo)
Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito proposes to have a masterplan for infrastructure and national development, underscoring its significance to the country. During Monday’s hearing, October 20, 2025, of the Finance Subcommittee A, Ejercito asked the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to support Senate Bill No. 2 or the Masterplan for Infrastructure and National Development (MIND) Act which he authored. (Senate PRIB photo)

Senators welcomed on Friday, December 5 the Supreme Court’s order to the government to return the P60-billion to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).

“The return of the P60-Billion to PhilHealth is a welcome correction. From the very beginning, we made it clear that these funds belong to PhilHealth,” Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito said in a statement.

“This should not been called 'excess funds' especially since there is still a shortage of funds for health. Many of our countrymen are still burdened with medical expenses or hospitalization,” he reiterated.

Ejercito said it is imperative to recognize health advocates who have been our voices and dialogue partners on this issue. 

“We need to come together to achieve our goal of improving health services in the country,” he stressed.

What is important right now is to ensure PhilHealth will have an increased participation in resolving the medical expenses of its members, Ejercito said.

“There are still so many things to fight for to ensure that Filipinos will have more access to our health care system,” he said, adding that it should not be left to the discretion of politicians.

Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go also welcomed the SC’s ruling, saying it is not just a big win, but justice for the Filipino people, especially the poor patients who were deprived of sufficient medical services.

“I welcome the unanimous decision of the Supreme Court in ordering the return of P60 billion funds to PhilHealth, which was earlier transferred to the National Treasury,” Go said in a statement.

“We fought against this from the start. I said before that the fund transfer is morally unacceptable. Now, the SC said it is legally wrong,” he pointed out.

Go reiterated that the PhilHealth funds are for health and must be used solely to improve the health and wellness of the Filipino people, “not for projects unrelated to their care.”

“I am deeply grateful to the Supreme Court for listening to the grievances of ordinary Filipinos that we gave voice to in the hearings of the Senate Committee on Health when we were its Chairman. This decision confirms that human health should always come first,” said the former Senate Committee on Health chairman.

Despite this, Go said the call for accountability is still strong: It must be explained where the P60-B PhilHealth excess funds were used. 

“Many fear that this too may have been used for unprogrammed funds and for flood control and ghost projects that were turned into milking parlors by a few exploiters,” Go said.

“So our crusade for health reform does not end here. I will ensure that this fund is fully returned to PhilHealth and used only for the improvement of their services and programs,” the senator said. 

“PhilHealth must ensure that every peso goes towards better benefits, faster claims processing, and broader coverage for our countrymen. I will not stop PhilHealth until they fulfill all their promises,” he added.

Related Tags

PhilHealth JV Ejercito Bong Go Supreme Court
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