Impeach VP Sara yourself, don’t use PhilHealth money
We own PhilHealth. Employees have been contributing for 30 years since 1995. Total: 66.67 million contributors, dependents, retirees.
Indigents joined under the 2018 Universal Health Care Act. PhilHealth gets sin taxes on alcohol, tobacco, sweets. Total: 41.84 million.
Self-entitled senators, congressmen, Presidents, VPs and Cabinetmen treat PhilHealth as government money.
They divert our money to pork barrels and political ayuda – then punish us members for faults of PhilHealth appointees.
We lack basic health benefits: doctor’s consultation, x-ray, blood works, urine and stool tests, mammogram, prostate ultrasound, eye-ear-nose-throat-dental checks.
Only if hospitalized do we receive P5,500, one percent of total bill, in return for our decades-long contributions.
Destitutes are worse off. To enjoy benefits they must queue up for Medical Assistance for Indigent Patients, indebting them to politicos.
Ledesma doesn’t care. He’s busy planning a P138-million banquet, with P2,500-giveaway umbrellas, on PhilHealth’s 30th anniversary this year. He didn’t care that 4,000 deceased members are still in the database.
MAIP political requests and billion-peso PhilHealth releases double each year, former finance undersecretary Cielo Magno exposed.
In January 2024, PhilHealth CEO Emmanuel Ledesma raised our contributions to P500-P5,000 a month “for added benefits.” Finance Sec. Ralph Recto then snatched P90 billion from PhilHealth for roadworks.
Saying it was on President Bongbong Marcos’ order, Ledesma gave in “like a good soldier.” The Congress supermajority cheered.
The 96,000-strong Philippine Medical Association, 72 specialist societies, a million nurses, labor federations, businessmen and professionals, religious leaders, retired generals, former Cabinet members, academics and NGOs protested.
Only one senator and three congressmen joined them.
The Supreme Court has yet to hear four petitions against the heist. Emboldened, Economic Planning Sec. Arsenio Balisacan reportedly is raiding the coffers of our SSS, GSIS and Pag-IBIG as well.
They haven’t learned from the retired generals’ outrage when pensions nearly were scrapped by Budget Sec. Amenah Pangandaman and former finance secretary Ben Diokno.
Five Cabinet secretaries sit in our PhilHealth board: Ted Herbosa of health as chairman and Pangandaman, Recto, Benny Laguesma of labor and Rex Gatchalian of social welfare as members.
On their and Ledesma’s advice, BBM proposed P74 billion for PhilHealth in 2025. Included is the P53-billion automatic sin tax share.
Separate Senate and House of Reps committee hearings and three plenary readings approved the amount.
But the bicameral conference of two slashed it to zero. In the wake of public outcry, high officials circled their wagons.
Senate President Chiz Escudero defended: “Ito sana wake-up call nila [PhilHealth]. Hindi namin ire-reward ang kapalpakan nila sa pagbigay na naman ng perang itetengga.”
Grace Poe, Senate finance committee head, added: “PhilHealth has P600-billion reserves that they’re not using. It’s deposited in accounts which earn less than inflation rate. Wasted. So we put that excess in other sectors in need.”
Speaker Martin Romualdez announced that the House committee on good government will investigate PhilHealth. His Tingog Party has canceled a deal for it and DBP to dole PhilHealth funds.
BBM, Herbosa and Ledesma agreed with them to zero PhilHealth.
None of them has thought it fair for us PhilHealth members. None of them deem it best for an investigation to be by an independent body.
“Sectors in need” and thus took our PhilHealth money are:
• House, P17.37 billion added to its original P16.3 billion, more than doubling it to P33.67 billion;
• Senate, P1.1 billion added to its original P12.8 billion, raising it to P13.9 billion;
• DPWH, P214 billion on top of its P898.9-billion spending capacity for 2025, bloating it to P1.113 trillion;
• Unprogrammed fund, P373 billion added to P158.61 billion, making it P531.67 billion;
• Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program, P26 billion for politicos to distribute in Election 2025.
Like PhilHealth, DepEd was robbed of P11.01 billion, leaving it with P737.08 billion.
VP Sara Duterte has yet to explain P612.5-million confidential fund spending of OVP and DepEd for such payees as Mary Grace Piattos and Chippy Mcdonald. Plus billions of pesos in ghost computerization.
Sara’s ally Sen. Imee Marcos calls it “an impeachment budget.” The sister of BBM and cousin of Romualdez – Sara’s arch foe – offers no proof.
But how else can the House-Senate bicam of two explain the country’s crookedest budget in history?
Why increase at the last minute the House and Senate budgets if not to bribe lawmakers, like the 2012 Development Acceleration Program to impeach and convict Chief Justice Renato Corona?
Why blatantly violate the Constitution by prioritizing public works instead of education?
Why unconstitutionally raise unprogrammed funds despite a pending SC case against the same crime in 2024?
Why increase ayuda that only breeds dependence and indolence?
Why bribe the AFP with an increase of soldiers’ daily meal allowance to P350 from P150, which chief of staff Romeo Brawner didn’t even ask for?
Does Malacañang not realize that P350-a-day meal stipend belies its trade department’s claim that a Filipino can live on P64 a day?
Do they think officers don’t know that the meal allowance hike came from the P15 billion slashed from the AFP modernization budget?
Why do many Filipinos foresee chaos in the New Year, underscored by the collapsed performance and trust ratings of high government officials?
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