Marcos wants ‘unhampered’ PhilHealth service despite zero budget
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. directed the Department of Health (DOH) to ensure the continued operation of Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) services, even in the absence of government subsidies.
PhilHealth initially proposed P74.43 billion in its budget for the 2025 National Expenditure Program, but this amount was later reduced in the Congress-approved budget.
In a meeting with Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa at Malacañang, Marcos instructed him to ensure that PhilHealth services remain uninterrupted despite the budget cuts.
“Make sure that services of PhilHealth remain unhampered … it (zero budget) should not affect the delivery of healthcare services,” Marcos said in the meeting, as quoted by the Presidential Communications Office.
Marcos also issued other orders to the DOH, telling Herbosa to shift the DOH’s focus from cure to prevention, saying that “an ounce of prevention is better than a pound in cure.”
The DOH has also been ordered to digitize its systems to improve service delivery.
The meeting included key economic officials, such as Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, Finance Secretary Ralph Recto, and Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs Frederick Go.
The 2025 General Appropriations Act, signed by President Marcos on Dec. 30, 2024, has sparked controversy due to several contentious provisions.
One of the most notable decisions was Congress’s choice to withhold a subsidy for PhilHealth in 2025, despite the agency having large standby funds totaling P500 billion. The budget also saw significant cuts to other agencies, including the Department of Transportation.
As a result of these reductions, the Executive Branch is now reassessing several planned projects and initiatives to accommodate the changes made by Congress in the final budget.
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