DOH: Legal opinion of DOJ, other agencies sought for PhilHealth’s proposed transfer to OP

The legal opinion of the Department of Justice and other relevant agencies is being sought by the technical working group (TWG) tasked to evaluate the proposed transfer of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to the Office of the President, the Department of Health (DOH) said Tuesday.

The DOH said the TWG had the initial meeting to discuss the preliminary thoughts of both DOH and PhilHealth on the matter.

“Discussions centered largely on the legality of the proposed transfer, given that PhilHealth has a standing charter (RA 7875, RA 10606). The legal question being addressed is mainly on the plausibility of such transfer, and what legal entanglements may be present that need to be looked into,” the DOH said.

On May 16, DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire announced that PhilHealth suggested transferring its administrative supervision from the DOH to the Office of the President.

PhilHealth is a government corporation currently attached to the DOH for policy coordination and guidance.

Vergeire said that “nothing is final yet” and the proposal had to be studied thoroughly, with lawmakers taking part, to determine if the transfer would be appropriate.

Aside from DOJ, the Health Department said that it also contacted the Office of the Solicitor General, Office of the Government Corporate Counsel, and the Governance Commission for GOCCs to provide their legal opinion on the proposal.

The technical and strategic merits of the proposed transfer will also be covered in the next TWG meeting, with experts and academic groups encouraged to share their thoughts.

“This is to balance the legal aspects with how the matter might affect the sector’s movement forward, especially given the UHC Act,” the DOH said.

The agency stressed that both legal and technical aspects will be taken into consideration in the development of the final report and recommendations of the TWG. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News