Solons justify DepEd budget cut, PhilHealth's zero subsidy

Administration lawmakers on Monday defended the reduction to the Department of  Education's (DepEd's) budget and the removal of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation's (PhilHealth's) government subsidy under the proposed  2025 national budget.

House Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Ortega of La Union clarified that a smaller budget does not indicate a lack of prioritization.

"Hindi naman po porke bumaba [ang budget] ay hindi na po priority. It is one of the priorities and it's one of the big priorities of this administration. There are just programs that need to be reassessed because it is not responsive to the needs of the people," Ortega said during a press conference.

(Just because the budget was reduced does not mean it’s no longer a priority. Education remains one of this administration’s key priorities. However, some programs need reassessment as they fail to address the people’s  needs effectively.)

Tingog Party-list Representative Jude Acidre highlighted DepEd's underperformance in its computerization program, which contributed to the budget cuts.

He contrasted this with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), which received a larger budget despite similar inefficiencies.

"The DPWH's inefficiencies are brought about by the weather, for example. We had many typhoons. That would account for many days of project delays. By and large, the reasons for the inefficiency of the DPWH in budget use is different from the Department of Education," Acidre said.

Acidre emphasized that infrastructure development, which includes building classrooms, evacuation centers, and hospitals, remained crucial for economic recovery.

PhilHealth

Meanwhile, Acidre pointed out PhilHealth’s inefficiencies, particularly its outdated case rate adjustment, which had not been updated since 2014.

"Back in 2014, the case rate will only cover 14% of the total hospital bill.  If PhilHealth did its job, the coverage would have been 30% to 40%.  [And] based on the assessment of Congress, we have more than enough funds to cover that for at least next year," Acidre added.

House Assistant Majority Leader Jefferson Khonghun of Zambales echoed this, noting PhilHealth’s significant unused funds.

"PhilHealth has P20 billion in unutilized funds in 2023. Additional funding is not the solution here.  Members of PhilHealth should benefit from their contributions through increased PhilHealth coverage," Khonghun added.

The Bicameral  Conference Committee had realigned P10 billion from DepEd’s computerization program and eliminated PhilHealth’s government subsidy due to its P600  billion reserve fund. — DVM, GMA Integrated News