Binay vows to push for use of gov’t cash aid to give free meds to poor

Makati City Mayor Abby Binay vowed to push for the use of cash aid programs to provide free maintenance medicines for the poor, if she wins as senator. File photo.

MANILA, Philippines — Makati City Mayor Abby Binay vowed to push for the re-direction of government’s financial aid programs so it could partly fund free maintenance medicines for the poor, if she wins as senator.

In a radio interview with Net25, transcripts of which were sent to reporters on Wednesday, Binay stated that funds for the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) and the Ayuda Para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) — both cash assistance given to indigents — can used to improve the country’s healthcare services.

In a statement she also released, Binay reiterated her proposal “to redirect part of the funds for financial assistance under AICS and AKAP for the provision of free maintenance medicines to beneficiaries, instead of plain cash.”

“At least alam natin kung saan napupunta ‘yung tulong. Gamot ang kailangan ng mga tao, hindi basta pera,” Binay explained.

(At least we know where the government’s aid program goes.  The people really need medicines, not just money.)

Furthermore, Binay said she believes the government has sufficient funds to improve the country’s healthcare system, but it has not been utilized properly yet.

According to the local chief executive, the problem is the utilization of funds, and not whether the allocations are enough, as different laws have allowed state agencies to amass the budget for health care.

Binay was referring to the funds appropriated to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) under the annual national budget, and the funding generated from excise taxes on vices like Republic Act No. 10351 or the Sin Tax Reform Law, R.A. No. 11346 or the Tobacco Tax Reform, and R.A. No. 11467 which amended the tax code.

“Kung tutuusin, may pera naman. Ang problema lang hindi po nagagamit nang tama. The problem is utilization,” Binay, who is running under the banner of the administration-backed Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas, said.

(If you’ll think about it, we have the money.  The only problem is that it is not used properly.)

“These are the things we need to scrutinize in the Senate. Our resources may be limited, but the funds are there. We only need to determine how best to use them to provide better services to the people, including better health care,” she added.

AICS and AKAP are both programs of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.  AICS aims to assist families who have been hit by emergencies and calamities, while AKAP is a one-time P5,000 payout to individuals earning less thank P23,000.

AKAP was a program initiated by the House of Representatives, in a bid to address underemployment and high inflation rates during the early part of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration.  However, AKAP was also one of the items in the 2025 budget that was heavily scrutinized, as many observers believed it can be used for politicking.

Former Finance undersecretary Cielo Magno said that AKAP is being merely used by lawmakers for “political gain.”

READ: Ex-Usec: Akap still susceptible to ‘politicking’ 

Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian, however, assured the public that AKAP will not be affected by politics as it is the DSWD’s staffers that receive and verify requests for aid — with or without referrals from lawmakers and local government unit officials.

READ: DSWD: Akap beneficiaries don’t need political backers 

Binay, meanwhile, said that another solution to the country’s health care woes is to initiate legislative reforms with regards to streamlining the Public Private Partnership (PPP) approval process, noting that Makati’s PPP projects in the healthcare sector were successful.

“Kung kaya ng Makati, kaya din ng ibang LGUs (local government units), basta may tamang mekanismo at suporta,” she noted.

(If Makati can do it, then other LGUs can also do this as long as there is a proper mechanism and support.)

Healthcare funding was a concern among individuals during the budget season for 2025, as the bicameral conference committee decided to remove the subsidy that PhilHealth gets regularly under the annual budget.

READ: PhilHealth has zero subsidy for 2025 due to P600B reserve funds

Lawmakers explained that PhilHealth still had a massive reserve fund of P600 million — which the state-run insurer has to use first.