Legarda hails SC order restoring PhilHealth funds

Sen. Loren Legarda welcomed a Supreme Court ruling ordering the government to return PHP 60 billion previously transferred from the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) back to the state-run health insurance provider through the 2026 General Appropriations Act.

The high court also prohibited any further transfer of the remaining PHP 29.9 billion and said the decision is immediately executory.

“This decision is correct and consistent with what we have long fought for—PhilHealth’s funds must remain with PhilHealth. These subsidies exist to protect the Filipino people, not to be diverted elsewhere,” Legarda said.

PhilHealth had been instructed to remit PHP 89.9 billion in excess funds to the National Treasury, Legarda said.

Of that total, PHP 60 billion was already remitted last year before the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order halting the transfer of the remaining PHP 29.9 billion.

Legarda said both the House of Representatives and the Senate have since incorporated the restoration of the PHP 60 billion into the 2026 General Appropriations Bill being discussed in the Senate.

She said she underscored that clarification during the Senate session on Dec. 4, 2025.

During the same session, Legarda reiterated her position that Congress must ensure PhilHealth has sufficient support to deliver essential health services.

She said the allocation under the 2026 National Expenditure Program remains insufficient and does not comply with the mandated sin tax law.

“Congress owes the Filipino people a properly funded PhilHealth,” Legarda emphasized.

“In my interpellation on the General Principles of the 2026 budget, I raised concerns over the gaps in PhilHealth’s appropriations for 2024, 2025, and 2026. We must ask where the funds were originally placed, why they were removed, and how we intend to fully restore them.”

Legarda also pressed for transparency and accountability in how PhilHealth subsidies are used.

She said she formally requested PhilHealth and the Department of Health (DOH) to submit detailed liquidation reports to help ensure the restored funds are used efficiently and aligned with PhilHealth’s mandate.

“As we restore these amounts, we must also demand full transparency,” Legarda said.

“I asked PhilHealth and the DOH to account for these funds so that we can determine how the restored budget will genuinely benefit our people.”

Legarda said accountability should go hand in hand with adequate and reliable health financing.

She called for the full restoration of funding deficits across all sources, including earmarked revenues from sin taxes, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, which she said have accumulated over the years.

PhilHealth is the country’s national health insurer and plays a central role in financing benefits for members, including government-subsidized coverage for vulnerable and low-income Filipinos.

A long-time advocate for accessible and high-quality health care, Legarda said she will continue pushing to protect PhilHealth’s financial stability and ensure its resources directly support Filipino families.

“Health care is not a privilege; it is a right. Every peso intended for the people’s health must be safeguarded,” she said.