MANILAsatta9, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R.Marcos Jr. on Monday defended the removal of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation’s (PhilHealth) P74-billion subsidy for 2025, citing its remaining reserves.
In a chance interview, Marcos pointed out that even if the government did not grant PhilHealth’s subsidy in the 2025 budget, it would still have a reserve of P500 billion.
“The reason we do not want to subsidize [PhilHealth] because the subsidy uupo lang sa bank account ng PhilHealth, hindi magagamit, eh marami tayo pag gagamitan noon so that’s the simple explanation there,” said Marcos in a chance interview with Palace reporters in Malacañang.
Article continues after this advertisement(We do not want to subsidize [PhilHealth] because the subsidy will only sit on PhilHealth’s bank account; it will not be used, which can be used for something else, so that’s the simple explanation there.)
FEATURED STORIES NEWSINFO Acop to Dela Rosa: Rebut report with proof, not theatrics NEWSINFO 2 senators claim not aware of changes in proposed national budget NEWSINFO Angara: Marcos to remedy huge DepEd budget cut“They have sufficient funds to carry on,” he added.
In a statement on Thursday, the BSP said that as of Oct. 11, 2024, the total coin collection has already reached P1.008 billion.
The 26 members of the governing council are gathering in Slovenia, as they make one of their regular tours away from the ECB’s headquarters in Frankfurt.
PhilHealth was initially allocated a P74.431 billion subsidy, but was reduced by the Senate to P64.419 billion.
Article continues after this advertisementThe bicameral conference committee then decided to cut the allocation completely.
Article continues after this advertisementAccording to Marcos, the current problem with PhilHealth is not its budget nor its coverage, but its system that has been “clogged” due to its limited “processing capacity.”
“Sa dami ng bagong services ng PhilHealth, sa dami ng mga bagong payment na binibigay ng PhilHealth, nababara ang sistema,” said Marcos.
Article continues after this advertisement(With the number of new services and payments PhilHealth provides, the system gets clogged.
“You can see there are, in the provinces, merong mga tao nag aantay buong araw ‘yung pila dalawang daang tao nag aantay nagc-claim. Hindi naman mahirap. Pero that’s what happened in PhilHealth. ‘Yan ang problema sa PhilHealth. The problem is the processing capacity,” he added.
(You can see in the provinces, people who wait all day, two hundred people waiting to claim. It’s not difficult. But that’s what happened in PhilHealth. That’s the problem with PhilHealth. The problem is the processing capa
slotscalendarSubscribe to our daily newsletter
He said this is why PhilHealth’s current main focus is digitization—to ensure faster processing of insurance claims while insurance coverage and claims payments continue.
Marcos clarified that he is “not yet at the point” of vetoing line items in the bicam-approved budget for 2025.satta9
READ NEXT Makabayan wants bicam to convene again to address budget issues Marcos wants DepEd, DBM to coordinate on restoring education ... EDITORS' PICK Kanlaon Volcano emits ash anew The last full moon of the year and what it means for your zodiac sign Solons fear VP Duterte’s vow to face impeach raps is just lip service DepEd computer program utilization rate at 90 percent – Angara For some, Christmas isn’t always a happy time Marcos on current state of PH: We’re quite stable amid political noise MOST READ Comelec probes possible sharing of voters in some areas Jamela Villanueva goes cryptic after Maris Racal-Anthony Jennings exposé 2 senators claim not aware of changes in proposed national budget Solons fear VP Duterte's vow to face impeach raps is just lip service Follow @FMangosingINQ on Twitter --> View comments