Group seeks reduction of PhilHealth contributions

A labor union called for the reduction of contributions to Philippine Health Insurance Company (PhilHealth) amid the low pay of many workers and the government's utilization of the state health insurer's idle funds.

"Hindi po pwedeng 'yung walang-wala na ay babawasan mo pa ang maliit niyang take home pay," said Federation of Free Workers (FFW) president Sonny Matula in a statement on Wednesday.

(It's unfair to reduce one's small take home pay when one has almost nothing already.)

Matula said Republic Act 11223 or the Universal Health Care Law provides that "whenever actual reserves exceed the required ceiling at the end of the fiscal year, the excess of the PhilHealth reserve fund shall be used to increase the Program's benefits and to decrease the amount of members' contributions."

The FFW called out the utilization of the reported P89 billion in unused and idle funds of PhilHealth for pet projects, which could have been used to improve the country's healthcare system. Independent health advocate Dr. Tony Leachon earlier reported the figure, which he said could be used to address high premium payments and improvement of low hospitalization benefits, among others.

The Department of Finance earlier defended that the utilization of unused and idle funds from PhilHealth and other state firms was "more prudent" than borrowing or imposing taxes.

"The FFW also denounces the immoral diversion of PhilHealth funds—amidst unpaid healthcare workers and health institutions—for purposes other than healthcare, particularly to fund unconstitutional and unprogrammed appropriations," said Matula.

Vilma Garcia, FFW board member and union president of the De La Salle Health and Medical Sciences Inc. Employees Union-FFW, "This misappropriation is a great disservice to workers who are being required to contribute to the funds from the meager starvation wages they receive. It's also a slap in the face of underpaid health professionals and the grossly underpaid barangay health workers, who do not even receive social protection."

GMA News Online has requested comment from Philhealth and the DoF regarding the matter.

The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) earlier approved the P35-hike in the daily minimum wage of workers in Metro Manila, increasing it from P610 to P645 for the non-agriculture sector.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), however, said that the P35-hike in the  daily minimum wage of workers in the capital region was still not enough.

Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Zaldy Co, chair of the House appropriations committee, on Tuesday backed proposals to allocate the unused funds, saying that PhilHealth's P500-billion reserve was not derived from member contributions.

Senator JV Ejercito, however, expressed concern that fulfillment of goals and objectives of the Universal Halthcare Law should be accorded priority. — VDV, GMA Integrated News