Executive Secretary Ralph Recto has assured that the operations of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) were not affected by the ₱60-billion fund transfer to the National Treasury, emphasizing that the amount came from excess contributions and unused funds from the national government.
In an exclusive interview on DZRH’s Damdaming Bayan, Recto said the transfer involved surplus and unutilized allocations originally intended for PhilHealth reserves, noting that the agency had accumulated significant unused funds at the time.
“Hindi na-apektuhan ang PhilHealth. Nung unang-una, yan ay kasama sa reserve fund. Sobra ang naibayad ng national government sa PhilHealth sa computation,” Recto said.
He explained that PhilHealth previously held over ₱600 billion in unused funds, adding that reforms were already underway to improve the agency’s operations and benefits system.
“May problema ang PhilHealth noon, kaya inayos natin yung pagpapatakbo ng PhilHealth. Ngayon medyo na-improve na yan pero marami pa tayong dapat gawin,” he added.
Recto also noted that benefit packages were increased during the same period and rejected claims that the fund transfer negatively affected service delivery.
“Walang katotohanan na naapektuhan ang operations ng PhilHealth sa mga panahon na yun,” he said.
Addressing concerns from contributing members, Recto acknowledged public sentiment regarding premium payments versus benefit value, citing disparities between paying members and indigent beneficiaries.
He explained that annual PhilHealth collections reach roughly ₱300 billion, while millions of members avail of benefits each year, stressing the need to further enhance packages for contributors.
“Kung ikaw ay nagbabayad ng 30,000 hanggang 60,000, dapat mas ma-improve yung benefit package para sa ating paying members,” he said.
Recto added that the government is actively working on reforms and confirmed that a meeting is scheduled next week to further improve PhilHealth benefit packages for contributing members.
The statement comes amid continued public discussion over the legality and impact of the ₱60-billion fund transfer, which has drawn scrutiny from various groups but was earlier cleared by the Office of the Ombudsman.
