MANILA — Senator Loren Legarda pushed for full transparency in the funding of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), warning that gaps in its allocations across the 2024, 2025, and 2026 budgets must be addressed to ensure compliance with the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law.

During her interpellation on the General Principles of the proposed 2026 national budget, Legarda questioned the removal of mandated subsidies in previous years and pressed the government to explain where the funds were originally placed, why they were deleted, and how they will be fully restored.

Legarda flagged that PhilHealth received zero national government subsidy in 2025, after the proposed ₱74.431 billion under the National Expenditure Program (NEP) was removed during budget deliberations. The deleted amount covered ₱53.134 billion for insurance premiums of indirect contributors under the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP); ₱21.17 billion for benefit package improvements under the UHC Law; and ₱121.17 million for PAMANA beneficiaries’ health insurance.

Despite this, she noted that PhilHealth continued to serve these sectors, placing added strain on its operating funds and reserves.

Legarda also raised concern over a 2024 incident in which the Department of Finance reportedly accessed PhilHealth’s reserves. She said the amount involved must be returned directly to the agency. “That money belongs to PhilHealth,” she stressed.

For 2026, the NEP proposes ₱53.262 billion for PhilHealth, sourced largely from sin tax collections. The House of Representatives later added ₱60 billion, bringing the proposed subsidy to ₱113.262 billion—an increase Legarda welcomed, saying the President had committed to restoring PhilHealth’s full funding.

However, she noted that the additional allocation still does not replenish PhilHealth’s reserves depleted in earlier years. She said fully providing the required funding is essential for carrying out the UHC Law.

“We want to ensure PhilHealth receives the full, clearly earmarked funds it is entitled to—funds that are sufficient and readily available so it can deliver quality, affordable health care to every Filipino,” Legarda said.

She added that beyond restoring missing allocations, the annual national budget must consistently follow the UHC Law’s mandate for clear and predictable earmarking for PhilHealth.