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Healthcare workers picket in front of the Supreme Court ahead of the third oral arguments on the PhilHealth fund transfer. Groups echo SC Associate Justice Amy Lazaro-Javier’s statement from the last session, that PhilHealth funds are for healthcare and should not have been used for other purposes. | via @Kaycee Valmonte @here
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The PhilHealth oral arguments have resumed. As promised, Justice Javier called Government Corporate Counsel Solomon Hermosura to remind him of his statements in the first day of oral arguments:
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Hermosura said the law does not lay out requirements for the board to follow regarding its reserve funds. Board members rely on their “business judgement.”
However, he also raised that "a social health insurance is a matter of political negotiation."
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Javier asks Hermosura to elaborate on what he means by "political negotiation," which Hermosura clarified that he was merely responding to the clarification that PhilHealth can ask funding from the government at any time. Under the UHC law, PhilHealth may request additional funding from Congress if needed.
"I would have also mentioned, Your Honors, that the government has done more to advance universal healthcare during this administration than in past administrations," said Hermosura.
Javier continues to grill Hermosura on his past statements: "This just gives me the impression that from your statement, that the reserve fund, the amount that the board may fix would depend on something that may or may not come like the subsidy of the government. You have first to negotiate and even after you have negotiated, there is no certainty at all that the subsidy you would like to receive will be given by the government."
On Hermosura's statement that "a social health insurance is a matter of political negotiation," Javier points out that this is the first time she's heard of the view.
"I've always believed that health is non-negotiable."
PhilHealth Senior Vice President Renato Limsiaco Jr. admits that the state insurer would sometimes go beyond the 60 days required by law to settle claims.
How did PhilHealth compute the amount to be transferred to the DOF? Hermosura said PhilHealth based it on the "rolling two-year average" of expenditures in the past five years from 2018 to 2023.
Meanwhile, the DOF (via Deputy Treasurer Eduardo Anthony Mariño III) said that the P89.9 billion were the unutilized government subsidies from 2021 to 2023.
Hello po Sir JC, binasa ko po yung ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute Perspective 2025/17 peer-reviewed research paper na ginawa mo po entitled "Politics in the Purse: Political Budget Cycles as Constraints to Philippine Development".
BREAKING: The Philippines’ inflation rate drops to 2.1% in February 2025 from 2.9% in January 2025. @here
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Hi everyone, here are the reasons why inflation slowed to 2.1% in February, according to the PSA:
Inflation of vegetable prices slowed to 7.1% from 21.1% last January. Just to recap: Inflation of vegetable prices, particularly tomatoes, skyrocketed in December and January because of the six tropical cyclones that hit the Philippines in late-October to early-November.
Rice prices continue to deflate amid the agriculture department's food emergency, recording a -4.9% deflation rate. Deputy National Statistician Divinia Gracia Del Prado said this can be attributed to the release of NFA buffer stocks to LGUs. She added that rice prices may continue to drop if the DA further reduces the maximum suggested retail price (SRP) and the government pushes through with plans to expand the Kadiwa store network to malls and supermarkets.
Slower inflation of rent and utility rates also offset higher prices of meat, particularly pork. Inflation of meat prices remain high at 8.8%. Del Prado said the pork supply chain is still grappling with the effects of the african swine fever.
Cagayan Valley recorded the fastest inflation rate this month at 3.9%, while SOCCSKSARGEN saw deflation at -0.3%. When there is deflation or negative inflation, prices are going down.
Some good news: Inflation for the bottom 30% income households eased to 1.5%, nearing the all-time low of 1.3% back in December 2019.
BREAKING: The Philippines’ unemployment rate is at 4.3% in January 2025 (start of Q1), equivalent to 2.16 million Filipinos. That is higher than the 3.9% or 1.97 million Filipinos in October 2024 (start of prior quarter), and the 3.1% or 1.63 million Filipinos in December 2024 (prior month). @here
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Hello, we’re at the PhilHealth headquarters this morning for the first media kapihan of the state insurer’s new chief executive officer, Dr. Edwin Mercado @here
I will be sending updates on this channel. Stay tuned.
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Mercado addresses the zero subsidy from the government:
- PhilHealth will address inefficiencies in their processes, making claims processing faster
- Digitalization will be key
PhilHealth says they will publish their circular on flexibility claim reimbursement and it will be available in 15 days. Those who failed to claim their PhilHealth coverage from a period in 2021 to 2024 — amounting to P8.8 billion — will be paid their due.
PhilHealth plans to introduce new cancer packages — liver, lung, among others.
High cost/ high burden diseases will also get higher coverage from the state insurer
Here are some of PhilHealth’s new packages
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Mercado said they are still studying which of the case rates should be updated.
PhilHealth also aims to lower out of pocket expenses for patients & outpatient services (down to 25%-30% from 45%)
Here are new maternity care packages
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Packages for tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, emergrency care, outpatient drugs, cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and mental health
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Mercado’s first 30 days:
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Will PhilHealth comply with the SC justice’s suggestion to overhaul the board of directors?
Mercado says they would continue to evaluate the performance of their board, their staff. Everything will be based on meritocracy and accountability
Benefit plans for 2025:
- Introducing a post-kidney transplant benefit package
- More benefits for catastrophic cases (benefits for lunch, liver, and ovarian cancers)
- Review and expand benefits for children with disabilities
Good morning @here Transport Chief Vince Dizon says they are terminating 3 employees from the Office for Transportation Security involved in the “tanim bala” incident at NAIA last week, March 6. The DOTr also plans to conduct a full investigation and cases may be filed against the staff
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Dizon says a hotline will be set up where passengers can report similar incidents. He says the department wouldn’t have known about it if not for social media posts, news reports
The OTS noted there were lapses in how employees handled the situation — employees went after the passenger after they’ve already been cleared by security and were already at their gate. They also add that employees weren’t even sure of which passenger & baggage raised red flags.