Senator Bong Go underscored the urgency of restoring and properly earmarking funds for the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), stressing that resources intended for health services must remain exclusively for health and warning that patients continue to shoulder overwhelming hospital expenses because PhilHealth support remains limited.
Aligning himself with concerns over the underfunding of sin tax revenues meant for Universal Health Care, Go called for the complete return of PhilHealth funds taken earlier and emphasized that there are no “excess” resources given the realities faced daily by patients relying on the state insurer.
“During the budget deliberations last year, I reiterated my call to provide PhilHealth with the proper earmarking mandated by existing laws. If the earmarkings in our sin tax laws (RA 11346 and RA 11467) were strictly honored and implemented, mas marami pang programa ang ma-iimplementa po ng PhilHealth,” the veteran legislator said.
The seasoned lawmaker reiterated a principle he said he has consistently advanced: that funds raised for health must be used for health alone.
The senator expressed concern over what he described as the commingling or diversion of PhilHealth resources, pushing back against the characterization of withdrawn amounts as “excess funds”.
“I have argued from day one that PhilHealth funds should only be used for PhilHealth. Ang pondo ng health ay para sa health,” he said. “Kaya lang po, parang ang nangyari noong nakaraang taon, hindi nga natin akalain na umabot sa puntong ganito. Parang nira-rumble rumble yung pera ng PhilHealth. Kinuha kasi, sabi nga nila, excess funds, na hindi naman matatawag na excess dahil hindi naman talaga sobra ang pera ng PhilHealth.”
To illustrate the insufficiency of PhilHealth coverage, Go cited concrete examples drawn from hospital billing experiences, including his own and those of public health officials.
“Kasi habang nagbabayad yung mga kababayan natin sa kanilang hospital billings, ang liit pa rin po ng counterpart. Ako, na-admit po ako, magkano lang ang binawas,” he said.
Go then detailed a case involving a provincial health official.
“Mayroon pong isang Provincial Health Officer ng probinsya ng Camarines Norte, four million yung billing niya, ang nabawas P 27,000. Na-admit siya muli—six million, P29,000. A total of P57,000 out of 10 million. Ibig sabihin, less than 1% lang po ‘yung sinagot ng PhilHealth,” he said.
While acknowledging that PhilHealth has adjusted case rates upward, Go questioned the practical impact of these increases on patients’ financial burden.
“So medyo tinaasan nila ngayon ang case rates, nag-adjust sila, tinaasan nga raw po ng 50%, pero magkano pa rin po yung 50% ng P57,000? P28,500. A total of P85,500. That is less than 1% pa rin po,” he said.
From these figures, Go concluded that the premise of excess PhilHealth funds does not hold.
“Wala talagang sobrang pondo ang PhilHealth.”
“Ibig sabihin nito, wala talagang sobrang pondo ang PhilHealth,” he added.
Go also recalled the budget deliberations for 2025, noting that the episode underscored the need for greater vigilance to ensure that legally mandated allocations for health are never sidelined again.
“Kaya nga po noong 2024, during budget deliberations for 2025, hindi po ako pumirma sa bicam report dahil nagtaka po tayo na naging zero yung budget ng PhilHealth sa 2025. Eh dapat po’y may naka-earmark nito na ayon po sa batas,” he said.
Go described the human consequences of inadequate health coverage, pointing to cases where fear of hospital bills deterred patients from seeking timely care. “So talagang napakasakit po habang nakikita natin na yung mga kababayan natin ay takot magpa-ospital dahil sa babayarin sa ospital. Ang liit pa rin po ng counterpart ng PhilHealth,” Go said.
He cited a particularly tragic example to underscore what is at stake.
“Mayroon ngang isang buntis diyan sa Cebu, mag-ina, ayaw magpa-admit, namatay po yung mag-ina dahil takot sa babayarin sa ospital. Pero pag may assurance po ang PhilHealth na sasagutin nila, hindi po matatakot magpa-admit po ‘yun.”
Looking ahead to the 2026 budget, Go acknowledged steps taken to partially address the funding gap while stressing that these remain far below what existing laws already mandate for PhilHealth.
“For 2026, we thank our Chairman of the Committee on Finance, Senator Win Gatchalian, for including the deficit of P16 billion that is supposed to be allotted for PhilHealth,” he said. “Ngunit, halos P113 billion pa dapat ang makukuha ng PhilHealth kung ma-implementa nang tama ang sin tax laws na ipinasa po dito sa Kongreso.”
Go appealed for congressional cooperation to ensure that these allocations are fully delivered in the coming years.
“Sana pagtulungan po ng Kongreso na mabigay ito sa mga susunod na taon,” he added.
Addressing the reported return of funds taken earlier, Go emphasized that partial restitution does not resolve the issue.
“Kung refund, refund talaga ‘yan. Dapat ibalik talaga nang buo,” he said, stressing that compliance with the law should not be selective or delayed.
In closing, Go urged continued vigilance over PhilHealth’s funding, emphasizing its direct impact on patients’ willingness and ability to seek care.
“Sana’y maibalik ‘yung nawalang pondo, dahil ilang pasyente po ang maaaring matulungan.”
“Maraming salamat po, Mr. President. Sana po’y patuloy nating bantayan ang budget ng PhilHealth, dahil naayon naman po ito sa batas,” he said. “Ang isang inaantay ko lang, sana’y maibalik ‘yung nawalang pondo, dahil ilang pasyente po ang maaaring matulungan at ilang mga kababayan natin ang hindi na matatakot magpa-ospital kung sapat ang maibibigay na counterpart ng PhilHealth.”
Go reiterated his central contention that PhilHealth coverage remains far from adequate and that describing its resources as surplus misrepresents patients’ lived experiences.
“Napakaliit pa rin po ng counterpart ng PhilHealth sa hospital billing. Kayo po ang saksi diyan,” he said.
“Tignan ninyo po nang mabuti ang inyong mga hospital billing. Kung—’wag naman sana—ma-admit kayo, makikita ninyo, napakaliit pa rin po. So, wala talagang excess funds ang PhilHealth. Hindi po sobra ang pondo ng PhilHealth, kulang na kulang pa po ito,” Go concluded.
