Where is the Money?

By Artchil B. Fernandez

“Where is the money?” This simple yet powerful question catapulted an obscure Supreme Court justice into national prominence. Until last week, few Filipinos knew Associate Justice Amy Lazaro-Javier. Now, she is a household name, with her sharp questioning flooding social media and digital platforms.

The Supreme Court’s oral argument on the controversial transfer of PHP 89.9 billion in Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) funds to the national treasury took an alarming turn, exposing highly questionable decisions by the government. Of this amount, PHP 60 billion has already been remitted.

The Department of Finance (DOF) issued Circular No. 003-2024, directing the transfer of unused subsidies from government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs), specifically PhilHealth, to the national treasury to bolster unprogrammed appropriations. This move was challenged by groups led by Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, Bayan Muna Chairperson Neri Colmenares, and the 1SAMBAYAN Coalition, along with members of the University of the Philippines Law Class of 1975, the Senior for Seniors Association, Inc., the Kidney Foundation of the Philippines, and other private individuals.

The petitioners argued that PhilHealth funds should be used to expand health coverage and improve benefit packages for Filipinos, especially the poor and indigent. They cited Republic Act No. 11223, or the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act of 2019, which mandates that excess PhilHealth reserve funds at the end of the fiscal year should be used to enhance program benefits and reduce member contributions.

Justice Lazaro-Javier pressed Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra on the legality of the transfer, particularly its use for infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges, and right-of-way payments. She questioned why PhilHealth funds should finance the Panay-Guimaras-Negros (PGN) Island Bridges project when it is already fully funded by a PHP 187.54-billion loan from the Export-Import Bank of Korea.

“Why is there an urgency to transfer funds when the PGN project is already fully funded?” she asked.

When Guevarra responded that he would check on the matter, Lazaro-Javier was quick to react. “How can the government have moved this when it is a loan intended for that purpose?” she exclaimed.

Her questioning continued. “There is nothing to spend for if the project has not even started,” Guevarra admitted. This prompted a sharp follow-up from Lazaro-Javier:

“So, where is the money?”

Guevarra’s response—that the funds were “presumably” transferred to the national treasury for unprogrammed appropriations—only raised more suspicions.

Lazaro-Javier reminded him that the Universal Health Care Act explicitly limits the use of PhilHealth funds. “The judgment of PhilHealth to disburse its funds is limited by Section 11. That reserve fund, as it is named, is reserved and cannot be subject to the discretion of PhilHealth to be used for another purpose,” she pointed out.

This Supreme Court exchange laid bare the blatant misuse of PhilHealth funds by the national government. The state insurer exists to guarantee healthcare access for Filipinos, yet its funds are being siphoned off for unrelated expenditures—potentially becoming a cash cow for corruption. Worse, the revelation that these infrastructure projects are already funded under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) raises the specter of double financing. Where, then, is this extra money truly going?

Is this not outright robbery of public funds?

Robbing the poor and the sick is sickening. It is cruel and heartless. The moral decay among the country’s politicians is repulsive.

If national leaders truly prioritized public health, they would have safeguarded PhilHealth’s funds to ensure that every Filipino receives the healthcare they deserve. Instead, they appear to be scheming ways to legally divert these funds for their own interests. The placement of PhilHealth funds under unprogrammed appropriations seems like an intentional maneuver to create a slush fund for infrastructure projects—long known as prime avenues for corruption.

To answer Justice Amy Lazaro-Javier’s question, “Where is the money?”—it is in the hands of corrupt, insatiable, and dirty politicians. But thanks to her pointed questioning, their grand scheme may have just been exposed. Kudos!.