It is not true that the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) has no funds to provide services to Filipinos, President Marcos said.

In his remark during a job and health fair in Antipolo, Rizal, Marcos assured the public that the PhilHealth has adequate funds to provide services to the people, allaying fears that the state health insurer can no longer help Filipinos in need.

"Alam n'yo po maraming nag-aalala dahil sinasabi wala ng pondo ang PhilHealth para tulungan ang mga may sakit sa atin. Ay hindi po totoo yun (You know, many are worried because some are saying that the PhilHealth no longer has fund to help the sick. That is not true)," Marcos said on Friday, April 4.

The President pointed out that the services offered by PhilHealth actually increased since last year.

"Kung mararamdaman po ninyo, mula noong nakaraang isang taon, imbes na mabawasan ang mga serbisyo at ipambabayad ng insurance ng PhilHealth, ito po ay dumami pa. Mas lumaki ang pambayad sa insurance, mas marami pa ang serbisyo na ibinibigay ng PhilHealth (If you noticed, since last year, instead of decreased services and the payment from PhilHealth, it actually increased. The higher the contribution to PhilHealth, the higher the services it provides)," Marcos said.

He also assured the people that his administration recognizes how important PhilHealth is to Filipinos, especially to workers.

"Napakahalaga po niyan dahil po alam naman po natin, lalong-lalo na sa mga nagtatrabaho sa mga – na mga manggagawa e bawal magkasakit (It is very important because we know, especially the workers, that getting sick must be avoided)," the President said.

"At hindi lang sa dahil mawawalan ka ng income, ng kita mo dahil nawala ka sa trabaho ay napakamahal kung minsan magpagamot (And it is not just because of income loss because you missed work, but because it is very expensive to get treatment)," he added.
 
Marcos statement came after the resumption of oral arguments on the controversial transfer of P89.9-billion excess funds from the state health insurer to the national treasury.

Supreme Court Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa questioned the discretion of Congress in determining the appropriation for PhilHealth when crafting the yearly national budget.