The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has approved the release of P10.377 billion to the Department of Health (DOH) to fund the implementation of the Zero Balance Billing (ZBB) Program across DOH-run health facilities nationwide and six pilot local government unit (LGU) hospitals.
DBM Acting Secretary Kim Robert C. De Leon emphasized that the funding translates the government’s health commitments into direct support for patients and their families.
“No Filipino should have to choose between getting the medical care they need and protecting their family from a hospital bill they cannot afford. This P10.377-billion release is about making sure that when our people get sick, government is there to help carry the burden,” De Leon said.
The bulk of the allocation, totaling P9.377 billion, will support DOH-administered hospitals across the country.
From this amount, P3.342 billion is allocated to major government medical centers serving Metro Manila:
- Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center
- Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital
- East Avenue Medical Center
- Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center
- National Center for Mental Health
- National Children’s Hospital
- Philippine Orthopedic Center
- Quirino Memorial Medical Center
- Research Institute for Tropical Medicine
- Rizal Medical Center
- San Lazaro Hospital
- Tondo Medical Center
The remaining P6.035 billion is allocated to DOH regional hospitals and other health facilities outside Metro Manila to ensure medical relief extends to rural and provincial communities.
In a separate release, the DBM downloaded P1 billion to pilot the ZBB Program in six LGU-managed hospitals located in Benguet, Batangas, Laguna, Quezon, Aklan and Sarangani.
This pilot expansion aims to bring financial relief closer to provincial communities by covering patients admitted to local facilities outside the direct DOH network.
Chargeable against the DOH budget under the FY 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA), the ZBB Program aligns with the government’s broader Universal Health Care agenda. Under existing guidelines, eligible patients admitted to participating government hospitals can receive covered medical services with little to no remaining hospital bill.