MANILA — Senator Raffy Tulfo expressed full support for Senator JV Ejercito’s call to strengthen the implementation of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law, citing persistent gaps that leave many Filipinos struggling to afford medical treatment.

In his statement following Ejercito’s privilege speech, Tulfo said healthcare in the country “remains financially inaccessible” despite the law’s passage, with patients still facing delays, out-of-pocket costs, and dependence on guarantee letters (GLs) from elected officials or agencies to secure hospitalization.

“This practice undermines the constitutional guarantee that health is a right, not a privilege,” Tulfo said.

Citing Philippine Statistics Authority data, Tulfo noted that in 2024, household out-of-pocket payments accounted for 42.7 percent of the country’s current health expenditure, showing that families still shoulder nearly half the cost of healthcare, even as PhilHealth members.

He added that many patients cannot settle hospital bills without GLs from officials, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), or the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Some hospitals, he said, refuse GLs due to delayed reimbursements.

“Bakit kailangan pang magmakaawa ang isang pamilya ng pasyenteng walang pambayad ng bill sa ospital sa iba’t ibang munisipyo at ahensya upang makalabas lang ang kanilang mahal sa buhay? Ito ay isang nakakalungkot na reyalidad,” Tulfo said.

He stressed that patients are “not asking for VIP treatment” but simply want to survive, pointing out that public resources already exist through taxes and PhilHealth premiums. The problem, he said, lies in inefficient fund disbursement and the lack of political will to remove “middlemen” in accessing healthcare.

“Muli, buo ang aking suporta kay Senator JV, dahil karapatan ng bawat Pilipino ang magkaroon ng access sa health care at sa sistema na magpapagaan sa buhay ng ating mga kababayan,” Tulfo said.