‘Pwede pa ba mabalik kung gastusin na?’ —Bong Go advises DOF: Wait for Supreme Court decision on PhilHealth excess funds before transfer to National Treasury
In his privilege speech at the Senate Plenary on Tuesday, August 27, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, Chairperson of the Senate Health Committee and Vice Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, urged the Department of Finance (DOF) to hold off on the planned transfer to National Treasury and the utilization of the PhP89.9 billion excess funds of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) until the Supreme Court has issued a ruling on the matter.
“Habang nakabinbin ito sa korte, hindi ba’t mas makabubuti na hintayin muna natin ang desisyon ng Supreme Court bago gamitin ang pondo ng PhilHealth sa mga proyekto na walang kinalaman sa kalusugan? Hindi po milyon kundi bilyones ang pinag-uusapan natin dito,” Senator Go emphasized.
The Supreme Court earlier ordered concerned executive officials and lawmakers to comment on a petition challenging the transfer of PhilHealth funds to the National Treasury.
While Senator Go acknowledges the efforts and mandate of the country’s economic managers to find available and unutilized funds that can be used for other priority items of the government, he questioned why PhilHealth was chosen, especially since the full implementation of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act remains incomplete.
“Bakit po ang PhilHealth ang kinuhanan ninyo? Maraming ahensya naman diyan ang may sobrang pondo at hindi magastos ang budget. Bakit kailangang unahin ang health, na alam naman natin na maraming pasyente pa ang nangangailangan ng tulong, at malaki pa rin ang out-of-pocket expenses nila?” Go pointed out.
During the recent Senate hearing on PhilHealth, DOF Secretary Ralph Recto argued that Congress has authorized the DOF to execute such transfers under Republic Act No. 11975, or the 2024 General Appropriations Act.
As the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, Senator Go raised concerns about the implications if the Supreme Court declares the fund transfer unconstitutional. He questioned what would happen to the funds if it will already be utilized pending the decision of the court.
“Pwede pa ba mabalik ‘yun?” Go asked.
For Senator Go, the issue is fundamentally moral—arguing that funds allocated for health should be used exclusively for health-related purposes.
“Gaya ng sinabi ko noong hearing, legally, baka mayroon silang magandang palusot. But morally? For me, this is unacceptable. Binuhusan ng pondo ang PhilHealth para ma-implementa nito ang mga programa ayon sa UHC,” Go asserted.
Senator Go is committed to ensuring that healthcare is not treated as an entitlement or a privilege reserved only for those who can afford it.
Republic Act No. 11223, or the Universal Health Care Act, was signed into law by then-President Rodrigo Duterte on February 20, 2019. This law automatically includes every Filipino in the National Health Insurance Program, either as a direct or indirect contributor, aiming to protect citizens from the financial burden of paying for health services out of their own pockets.
