PhilHealth chief may face criminal raps if he delays UHC implementation

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) chief Ricardo Morales may be criminally charged if he delays the implementation of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act, Malacañang said Wednesday.

In an interview over ANC, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, who was one of the authors of the UHC when he was a congressman, said Morales does not have the discretion to defer the implementation of the law.

“You cannot delay what the President has promised that when you get sick of COVID, then the state will pay through PhilHealth. That’s not negotiable,” Roque said.

“This is a law that has to be implemented, it is not his discretion to implement it or not. If he doesn’t, then he commits a criminal act. He will not just be removed. It is a criminal act, he can be prosecuted because he cannot violate a law passed by Congress,” he added.

Morales earlier sought the delay of the program’s rollout citing PhilHealth’s declining revenue amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Roque, however, advised Morales that if PhilHealth needs more funds, he should ask Congress to “consider” it.

“And if need be, the President will certify the need for their funding as urgent so Congress can act on it. But this is a matter that even the PhilHealth president can’t decide on his own because it is the law,” said Roque.

Last week, Morales assured that the law’s implementation is still ongoing as his proposal to delay it is still a “matter of discussion.”

EDV