Senator Loren Legarda called for automatic funding for the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. or PhilHealth, which has been repeatedly divested of allocated funds.

In a Friday report by RH 28 Raymund Dadpaas, Senator Loren Legarda made the appeal following Senate Bill No. 1662 or the PhilHealth Automatic Funding Act that aims to ensure the immediate transmission of funds designated to the state health insurer.

The lawmaker explained that she filed the bill in response to the government’s failure to remit to PhilHealth its due share of sin taxes from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), diminishing PhilHealth’s ability to deliver health services.

She argued that PhilHealth should not be compromised because its funds have been delayed or used for something else. Every peso allotted for the health of ordinary citizens should reach them in full and at the right place and time, she added.

When devising laws, from committee hearings to plenary deliberations and the bicameral conference committee, Legarda would push for the protection of PhilHealth funds.

Despite the law’s clear stipulations, PhilHealth has been deprived of funds, with allocations under the National Expenditure Program (NEP) falling short. As an example, Legarda cited the Supreme Court’s ruling ordering the return of ₱60 billion to PhilHealth and barring the use of its funds for other purposes.

Health services, Legarda said, are a right that should be upheld by the government.