Senator Christopher “Bong” Go
MANILA, Philippines – Senator Christopher “Bong” Go lauded the Supreme Court’s recent indication that it may act on petitions challenging the P89.9 billion transfer of Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) funds to the national treasury ahead of oral arguments scheduled for January 2025.
Go was among the first to question the controversial transfer, ensuring that his concerns were immediately raised in pursuit of public interest.
Go, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health, emphasized that the protection of public health funds remains a top priority, especially as the nation faces ongoing challenges in healthcare access and delivery.
In a press briefing on Tuesday, the Supreme Court, through its spokesperson Camille Sue Mae Ting, announced the possibility of acting on the motion for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) before oral arguments.
“As long as the case isn’t finished yet, they can still act on it [even before the oral arguments].”
The petitions seek to stop the transfer of PhilHealth’s excess funds, citing concerns of “technical malversation and/or plunder.”
Go, acknowledging the legal processes now underway, underscored the importance of safeguarding the integrity of health funds.
He stressed that these resources are meant to be used for healthcare services especially for the poor and not for other purposes.
“As chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health, I am fully committed to ensuring that every peso allocated for healthcare is spent for health,” Go said.
“It is our duty to make sure that public funds intended for health services are used for that specific purpose.”
Expanded packages
Go also plans to continue the discussions in another Senate hearing in November to address concerns related to the fund transfer and to seek updates from PhilHealth regarding its promised expanded health packages.
In past public hearings, Go raised this issue directly with PhilHealth President Emmanuel Ledesma, saying that if these excess funds were instead utilized properly by PhilHealth to expand services to benefit the sick and the needy, then the finance managers would not need to resort to transferring these amounts to be used for other purposes.
“Habang ang mga kababayan natin, naghihingalo, walang pambayad sa hospital, nagmamakaawa, tapos kayo, sobra-sobra ‘yung pera ninyo,” Go lamented.
Reserve fund
He also brought up a P500 billion reserve fund that PhilHealth was holding onto, criticizing the institution for failing to maximize available resources to benefit the people for their medical needs.
“Napakarami po d’yan ng mga benefit packages na pwede n’yo pong isipin pa,” Go said, stressing that out-of-pocket expenses for patients must be reduced, calling on PhilHealth to take a more proactive role in supporting DOH’s medical assistance programs.
“Tulungan n’yo po ang DOH. Huwag kayo masyadong umasa sa medical assistance program po ng DOH,” he said, emphasizing that PhilHealth’s contribution could ease the burden on the health department and help indigent patients.
“Malinaw sa akin na ang pondo ng PhilHealth ay dapat ilaan para sa kapakanan ng ating mga kababayan na nangangailangan ng tulong medikal,” he emphasized.
“Sisiguraduhin namin na hindi masasakripisyo ang serbisyong pangkalusugan ng Pilipino.”
He reminded PhilHealth of its other commitments to improving healthcare services and to deliver on the reforms he had long been advocating.
These include increased benefit packages particularly for diseases with high mortality rates such as heart disease, diabetes, and respiratory conditions; Adjustments to case rates to help reduce out-of-pocket expenses for patients requiring expensive medical treatments; new benefits packages for dental care, outpatient drug coverage, mental health services, and optometric care; provision of assistive devices such as wheelchairs, crutches, and canes; providing coverage for emergency outpatient services; Inclusion of diagnostic tests and specialized treatments; recommending the lowering of premium contributions, provision of free medicines, among others.
Due to Go’s persistent efforts, significant reforms have been implemented within PhilHealth, including the removal of the Single Period of Confinement (SPC) policy, the review of the restrictive 24-hour confinement policy and the possible inclusion of emergency and preventive care services in Philhealth benefits.