Colmenares: TRO on transfer of PhilHealth funds covers P59B

The Supreme Court Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) on the transfer of Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) excess funds to the national treasury covers P59.9 billion, not P29.9 billion, lawyer and Bayan Muna chair Neri Colmenares said Friday.

Colmenares cited that the TRO issued by the High Court provided that [the court decided to] “grant the Motion for the Issuance of a Temporary Restraining Order Pending the Scheduled Oral Arguments on January 14, 2025 filed by Counsel of the Petitioners in GR 275405’ (Bayan Muna vs Pres. Marcos et al.) and enjoining the respondents from transferring the remaining balance of P59.9 billion of PhilHealth funds.” 

“We would like to clarify that what was restrained by the Supreme Court was not only the remaining P29.9 billion but also includes the P30 billion supposedly transferred on October 16, 2024, or a total of P59.9 billion. If the P30 billion has been transferred to the National Treasury, we demand that DOF (Department of Finance) should return these to PhilHealth to be faithful to the TRO decision,” Colmenares said.

“We are glad that the Supreme Court has taken cognizance of Bayan Muna’s petition filed last September 6, and we warn the DOF not to transfer the funds restrained by the Court and to return the P 30 billion to PhilHealth if, indeed, it was transferred last October 16,” Colmenares added.

In its petition for TRO, Bayan Muna not only questioned the transfer of PhilHealth Funds but also the projects to which these funds can be spent on, including those under the 2024 Unprogrammed Appropriations namely:

• Strengthening Assistance for Government Infrastructure and Social Programs (SAGIP but formerly called as SIPSP in the 2023 GAA) (P225.3 billion)
• Appropriation for Maintenance, Repair and Rehabilitation of Infrastructure Facilities (P3 billion)
• Farm to Market Roads (P2.3 Billion)
• Pre-Feasibility Studies  (P3 billion) and
• P1.8 billion for  Land Acquisition for the Office of the Vice President.  

“While they will use the Public Health Emergency Benefits and Allowances for Health Care Workers as a shield to justify the UA, we were shocked to find that they only allocated P2 billion to health care workers but reserved more than P200 billion for their favorite projects. That is a mere 1% of what they allocated for juicy infra projects," Colmenares said.

“We demand a thorough audit of all expenditures which used PhilHealth funds, and the accounting of all other funds used in these UA projects,” he added.

Further, Colmenares said that since PhilHealth was not restrained by the Court from using the funds, PhilHealth shold use these immediately to expand its services to their beneficiaries, especially those hit by Typhoon Kristine and Leon and cover as many medical procedures and lab tests not currently covered by PhilHealth.

--VAL, GMA Integrated News