18/11/2025
๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ณ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐ถ๐ท๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ผ๐ณ ๐จ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ป๐ฑ๐
We, the undersigned heads of health professional organizations, raise our united voice against the hijacking of Universal Health Care (UHC). The government has put up a deliberate, coordinated effort to divert and politicize the funds of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), the nationโs primary payer for individual health services.
Over the past three years, Congress has taken actions that betray the intent of the UHC Act and the Sin Tax Reform Law, undermining the right of every Filipino to equitable, reliable, and publicly funded health care. These actions weaken our health system, perpetuate political patronage, and endanger millions of Filipino lives.
๐ญ. ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฃ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต ๐๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ (๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฐ):
In 2024, โฑ๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป was diverted from PhilHealth to the national treasury to fund programs like infrastructure, which are not under the mandate of PhilHealth. This violated existing laws and deprived millions of Filipinos the opportunity for higher health care benefits. The diversion, now challenged before the Supreme Court, must be corrected to restore the rule of law in health financing.
๐ฎ. ๐ช๐ถ๐๐ต๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฃ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต ๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ (๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฏ-๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฑ):
Despite laws mandating a national subsidy of premiums for indirect contributors, and availability of funds from Sin Taxes, PAGCOR and PCSO, congress has failed to appropriate a total of โฑ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป to PhilHealth since 2023. This included a zero budget in 2025, which was approved in a secret closed door bicameral conference meeting. Based on actuarial estimates, these deliberate violations of the UHC Act and the Sin Tax Law threaten to cripple the government's ability to provide adequate funds for health care in the near future. This is a clear breach of public trust.
๐ฏ. ๐๐
๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต ๐๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ (๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฒ):
Instead of raising PhilHealthโs budget to accommodate greater
benefits, Congress doubled the Medical Assistance for Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) fund - from โฑ24
billion to โฑ49 billion. MAIFIP duplicates PhilHealthโs function and allows politicians to disburse assistance at their discretion. This revives the pork-barrel system under a new name and weakens PhilHealth - the agency designated by the UHC Act as the major payer for individual-based healthcare services in the country.
๐ฐ. ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐:
Proposed House Bills No. 1316, 5364, 5207, and 5212 surreptitiously lower taxes on v***r products and suspended annual increases, reducing revenues for health programs and benefiting the industryโs interests over public welfare. This is clear evidence of legislators being influenced by strong market forces.
All of these actions form a coherent and deliberate pattern. Together, they reveal a system of political capture, transforming public health funds into instruments of patronage. This is not reform. It is the hijack of Universal Health Care for political self-interests.
๐ช๐ฒ, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ป๐ฒ๐ฑ, ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ:
1. the addition of all previously diverted (โฑ๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฐ) and unappropriated funds (โฑ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฑ ๐ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฏ) to the legitimate PhilHealth budget of at least โฑ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฒ, to fund additional PhilHealth benefits for all Filipinos;
2. the transfer of discretionary medical funds like MAIFIP to PhilHealth for funding of zero balance benefits for indigent patients;
3. rejection of v**e tax amendments that increase the number of smokers and v**ers and reduce health revenues; and
4. full disclosure and accountability in all congressional budget actions affecting UHC.
We also call on the Supreme Court to decide swiftly on cases challenging the 2024 fund diversion and the 2025 zero budget. Our people are suffering. Please hear their pleas for help.
๐จ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒโ๐ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐. ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ณ-๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐.
Signed (as of 16 November 2025)
1. Philippine Medical Association (PMA)
2. Philippine College of Physicians (P*P)
3. Philippine College of Surgeons (PCS)
4. Philippine Association of Medical Technologists (PAMET)
5. Philippine League of Government and Private Midwives (PLGPMI)
6. Philippine Pharmacists Association (PPhA)
7. Alliance for Improving Health Outcomes (AIHO)
8. Asia-Oceania Research Organization on Gynecologic Infections and Neoplasia (AOGIN)
9. Asia-Pacific Center for Evidence-Based Health Care (APCEBH)
10. Child Neurology Society (CNS)
11. Kalusugan ng Mag-Ina (KMI)
12. ANG NARS
13. Pain Society of the Philippines
14. Pediatric Nephrology Society of the Philippines (PNSP)
15. Philippine Academic Society of Social and Community Medicine (PASCOM)
16. Philippine Academy for Head and Neck Surgery (PAHNSI)
17. Philippine Academy of Family Physicians (PAFP)
18. Philippine Academy of Occupational Therapists (PAOT)
19. Philippine Academy of Ophthalmology (PAO)
20. Philippine Academy of Pediatric Pulmonologists (PAPP)
21. Philippine Academy of Rehabilitation Medicine (PARM)
22. Philippine Addiction Specialists Society (PASS)
23. Philippine Ambulatory Pediatrics Association (PAPA)
24. Philippine Association for the Study of Overweight and Obesity (PSSOO)
25. Philippine Association of Medical Journal Editors (PAMJE)
26. Philippine Association of Nutrition (PAN)
27. Philippine Association of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (PAPRAS)
28. Philippine Association of Speech-Language Pathologists (PASP)
29. Philippine College of Chest Physicians (PCCP)
30. Philippine College of Emergency Medicine (PCEM)
31. Philippine College of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism (PCEDM)
32. Philippine College of Occupational Medicine (PCOM)
33. Philippine College of Geriatric Medicine (PCGM)
34. Philippine Dermatological Society (PDS)
35. Philippine General Hospital (PGH) Physicians Association
36. Philippine Heart Association (PHA)
37. Philippine Hospital Association
38. Philippine League Against Epilepsy
39. Philippine Lipid and Atherosclerosis Society (PLAS)
40. Philippine Neurological Association (PNA)
41. Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society (POGS)
42. Philippine Orthopaedic Association (POA)
43. Philippine Physical Therapy Association (PPTA)
44. Philippine Psychiatric Association (PPA)
45. Philippine Rheumatology Association (PRA)
46. Philippine Society Of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (PSO-HNS)
47. Philippine Society for Cervical Pathology and Colposcopy (PSCPC)
48. Philippine Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (PSCAP)
49. Philippine Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (PSDBP)
50. Philippine Society for Gynecologic Endoscopy (PSGE)
51. Philippine Society for Literature and Narrative Medicine (PSLNM)
52. Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (PSMID)
53. Philippine Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition (PSPGHAN)
54. Philippine Society for Reproductive Medicine (PSRM)
55. Philippine Society of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (PSAAI)
56. Philippine Society of Cardiovascular Catheterization and Interventions (PSCCI)
57. Philippine Society of Climacteric Medicine (PSCM)
58. Philippine Society of Clinical and Occupational Toxicology (PSCOT)
59. Philippine Society of Critical Care Medicine (PSCCM)
60. Philippine Society of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology (PSECP)
61. Philippine Society of Gastroenterology (PSG)
62. Philippine Society of General Internal Medicine (PSGIM)
63. Philippine Society of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (PSHPM)
64. Philippine Society of Hypertension (PSH)
65. Philippine Society of Medical Oncology (PSMO)
66. Philippine Society of Nephrology (PSN)
67. Philippine Society of Pediatric Hematology (PSPH)
68. Philippine Society of Public Health Physicians (PSPHP)
69. Philippine Society of Reproductive Immunologists (PSRI)
70. Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines (PHAPI)
71. Society of Gynecologic Oncologists of the Philippines (SGOP)
Watch the video "Ihinto na ang Pag-Hijack sa Pondo ng PhilHealth!" here: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1GurGjznTp/
