Gov’t to ‘find a way’ to return P60 billion to PhilHealth if SC orders

The government's economic managers on Thursday vowed to "find a way" to return P60 billion to state insurer PhilHealth if the Supreme Court orders them to, as the amount transferred to the National Treasury had already been utilized.

This was stated by the economic managers during the Senate plenary deliberations on the proposed national budget for 2025 through Senator Grace Poe, the sponsor of the General Appropriations Bill (GAB).

"The secretary has always said, we will follow the decision of the Supreme Court. They're hoping that they don't have to, but should we be required to return it, then we will find a way to do so," Poe said.

"For now, there is no direct order from the Supreme Court, from what the secretary understands, for us to return it," she reiterated.

Poe was responding to Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III's question asking the economic managers about their next step should the SC favor the petitions questioning the transfer of PhilHealth's "excess" funds of P89.9 billion to the National Treasury.

"In case we win in the petition before the SC, what will happen now? The national government will be ordered to refund or return the P60 billion to PhilHealth?" Pimentel asked.

In October, the SC issued a temporary restraining order on the further transfer of the PhilHealth funds. PhilHealth earlier reported that P60 billion has already been transferred to the National Treasury with only P29.9 billion remaining with the agency.

According to Poe, the funds transferred from PhilHealth to the National Treasury have already been utilized.

The first petition against the transfer was filed in August by Pimentel and the Philippine Medical Association, among others.

This was followed by other petitions from the 1SAMBAYAN Coalition, headed by retired SC Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, and Bayan Muna chairperson Neri Colmenares and other members on October 16.

"'Yun po 'yung pinaglalaban namin sa Supreme Court [That is what we are fighting for at the Supreme Court]...In the opinion of this representation, sacred funds po sana iyon kasi [those are sacred funds because they are] contributions from direct contributors and from those subsidized by the government pero in the nature of indirect contribution din nila 'yun eh, members' fund. But unfortunately P60 billion of those funds were now spent for the bridges et cetera, but we're trying to remedy this before the SC," Pimentel said during the budget deliberations.

The SC has set oral arguments on the petitions in January 2025. — BM, GMA Integrated News