DAVAO CITY – Puwersa ng Pilipinong Pandagat party-list Rep. Harold Duterte urged immediate compliance with the order to return the P60-billion PhilHealth fund, saying the amount is public money meant for healthcare and not subject to negotiation or delay.

In a statement on Thursday, Dec. 11, Duterte stressed that the directive, issued by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Sept. 20, is “not optional.”

He questioned why, to date, no government agency has complied with the order.

“This is public money, money of the Filipino people, intended for healthcare, not an amount that agencies can delay, negotiate, or treat as if it were theirs,” Duterte said.

He noted that unused funds entrusted for a specific purpose must be returned or retained as reserves for PhilHealth. “The law is straightforward. So, the real question is this: Why has there been no compliance?”

The Davao City lawmaker pointed out the disparity between the unused P60 billion and the approved PhilHealth budget for 2025 which stands at P53 billion. “Mas malaki pa ang ginamit sa flood control,” he said. (Money used for flood control is bigger)

Duterte argued that the continued withholding of the fund is “not just administrative delay,” but “a failure of responsibility,” emphasizing that every day the amount remains unreleased is another day hospitals operate with insufficient resources.

He warned against any attempt to use the 2026 national budget to replace or “cover” the missing P60 billion, saying such a move would unfairly burden taxpayers.

“Doing so would be the government charging our constituents twice for something the government screwed up,” Duterte said. “You do not correct mishandling of funds by raiding next year’s appropriations.”

He underscored the human cost of the issue, stressing that the withheld funds represent hospital equipment that has not been purchased, treatments that have been delayed, and patients who have been turned away from care.

“The P60 billion is not merely money, it is human life,” the lawmaker said, adding that no future budget realignment can compensate for lives lost due to a lack of healthcare resources.

He issued a direct appeal for immediate action. “Return the P60 billion now. No excuses. No delays. No attempts to pass the burden to the 2026 budget, and certainly no passing the burden to the Filipino people.”

Duterte said full compliance is essential to restore accountability and ensure that the country’s healthcare system receives the resources it urgently needs.