Pres. Bongbong Marcos Speaks on Decision of Lawmakers To Give Deny PhilHealth of Subsidy
BONGBONG MARCOS – The Philippine President broke his silence on the issue regarding the zero subsidy of PhilHealth in 2025.
The lawmakers’ decision not to give subsidy for the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation sparked several reports and elicited different reactions. To recall, it was Senator Grace Poe, the chairperson of the Senate Finance committee, who announced the decision following the discussion between the lawmakers in the Senate and the House of Representatives.
According to Sen. Grace Poe, PhilHealth must use its reserve funds kept in a bank account. The lawmaker stressed that the government is allegedly at the losing end for the billions of reserve funds that the state health insurer has in a bank account.
The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. has given its reaction on the decision of the lawmakers. PhilHealth confirmed that it will write a letter to Pres. Bongbong Marcos to appeal the verdict of the lawmakers.
According to PhilHealth, they hope that the President will take a look into the impact of the removal of the subsidy with regards to the premiums of the poor, the senior citizens, and the PWD members of the state health insurer. Meanwhile, it assured that it has enought funds for the members’ benefits as well as its operation.
Recently, Pres. Bongbong Marcos has revealed his side on the PhilHealth zero subsidy issue as he spoke to the reporters. Based on a report on GMA News, the Chief Executive defended the decision of the lawmakers to give zero subsidy to the state health insurer saying that it has P500 billion reserve funds.
According to Marcos Jr., PhilHealth needs P100 billion annually for its operation and services. Based on the report, he stressed that “the PhilHealth has sufficient budget to do all of the things that they want to do”.
Pres. Bongbong Marcos also explained the reason why they do not want to subsidize PhilHealth. According to the Chief Executive, the money will just stay in the state health insurer’s bank account and will not be utilized.
“That’s the simple explanation. They have sufficient funds to carry on,” the President said.
Recently, amid the state health insurer’s issue regarding its 2025 subsidy, countless netizens on social media were left disappointed when posts about the P138 million spending of PhilHealth on its Christmas Party and Anniversary celebration circulated.