SC justice calls for return of excess funds worth P60 billion to PhilHealth

National

SUPREME Court Associate Justice Antonio Kho Jr. said the P60 billion in excess funds that was transferred to the National Treasury must be returned to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).

Kho made the call during the third round of oral arguments on the petition challenging the transfer of PhilHealth’s funds on Tuesday, March 4.

Kho said the funds should be returned to the state insurer in order to boost benefits for its contributors.

“So in that case maybe PhilHealth can already request the President to return the money, the P60 billion that was transmitted to the government for unprogrammed funds, return that to PhilHealth. In order to expand its benefits, hire more people to answer for the needs of the health of our people,” Kho said in a Philippine Star report.

Kho further criticized the government's allocation practices, underlining that any unreleased tax collections intended for PhilHealth should be fully disbursed.

The controversy stems from the Department of Finance’s 2024 circular, which ordered the transfer of PhilHealth’s excess funds, totaling P89.9 billion in unutilized government subsidies from 2021 to 2023, to the National Treasury.

These subsidies were originally reserved for covering non-paying members such as indigent individuals, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities.

The transfer was to be executed in four tranches, but a temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the Supreme Court suspended the final tranche. To date, P60 billion has been transferred: P20 billion in May 2024, P10 billion in August, and P30 billion in October.(Ana Grace Cabradilla, BiPSU Comm Intern)