MANILA — Health advocate Dr. Tony Leachon filed plunder and technical malversation complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman against Executive Secretary Ralph Recto and other Cabinet officials over the transfer of excess funds from government corporations to the National Treasury.

In a media report, it said that Leachon’s complaint covers ₱60 billion in excess funds from the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) and ₱107 billion from the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC), which were allegedly moved to the national coffers.

The complaint cited a 2025 Supreme Court ruling declaring unconstitutional a special provision of the 2024 General Appropriations Act that allowed the return of excess funds of government-owned and controlled corporations, including PhilHealth, to the National Treasury.

Leachon said the ruling supports his allegations that the fund transfers were improper.

“These P60 billion [PhilHealth] funds, meant for indigent families and primary care, were stripped of their rightful purpose, betraying the people’s right to health. PhilHealth’s [already] P356.6 billion deficit left hospitals unpaid, cancer and dialysis programs starved, and millions of Filipinos abandoned,” Leachon said in a statement.

“The so-called ‘restoration’ of ₱60B in [the] 2026 budget was a hollow gesture — too late for families already buried in debt, too late for patients who never received care. This is not merely a legal matter but a moral one. The ₱60 billion could have saved lives, kept hospitals afloat, and brought dignity to families in despair. Instead, it was stolen from the sick and the poor,” he added.

Under Philippine law, plunder is committed when a public officer accumulates ill-gotten wealth of at least ₱50 million through a series of unlawful acts, while technical malversation involves the use of public funds for a purpose different from their legal appropriation.

Leachon also raised concern over the alleged transfer of ₱107 billion in PDIC funds, saying it weakened depositor protection and eroded public trust in financial institutions.

“Filing these charges is a duty to the Filipino people — to restore integrity, deter future abuses, and reclaim the promise of universal health care,” he said.