Calls for stronger transparency measures and safeguards intensified following the return of P60 billion in Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) funds previously transferred to the National Treasury, with advocates stressing that the money must be protected from future diversion and used directly to improve health services.
Former Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares said the returned funds should immediately benefit PhilHealth members through expanded services, improved benefits, and faster health care delivery.
“The return of the P60 billion to PhilHealth is the correct move. These are contributions meant for health services, not a standby pool to plug budget holes elsewhere,” Colmenares said.
He warned, however, that simply returning the funds would not fully resolve the issue if the budget mechanisms that enabled the transfer remain in place.
“We should remove unprogrammed funds provisions that allow a repeat of this diversion. If we are serious about protecting PhilHealth members, there must be no more backdoor authority to pull PhilHealth money away from health care,” he said.
Colmenares also pushed for a full public accounting of unused PhilHealth funds, noting that the returned P60 billion forms part of the reported P89.9 billion in unused PhilHealth funds.
“There must be a full public accounting of all funds released from PhilHealth under the Universal Health Care law in 2024 and 2025 — who approved, how much was transferred, where it went, and what it was used for,” he said.
“Dapat wala nang unprogrammed funds para hindi na maulit ang nangyari. Dapat maglabas ng kumpletong accounting sa lahat ng ni-release na UA noong 2024 at 2025 — kanino napunta, magkano, at saan ginastos,” he added.
The former lawmaker also called for the return of funds previously taken from the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC), warning that diverting deposit insurance funds could weaken financial protection for ordinary depositors and increase systemic risks.
“We also demand the return of the P110 billion taken from PDIC. These are premiums paid by depositors as insurance to protect the public in cases of bank runs and liquidity problems. This money should not be raided to finance unrelated spending,” Colmenares said.
He added that PhilHealth and oversight agencies must ensure the returned amount leads to concrete improvements for members, including higher benefit packages, faster claims processing, and stronger anti-fraud and governance systems.