Senator Bong Go has urged the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to ensure that its funds are used exclusively for healthcare services, rather than for other unrelated projects.
Go emphasized the vital role PhilHealth plays in supporting Filipinos, particularly the underprivileged, who rely on its benefits for medical assistance. He pointed out that many patients benefited from PhilHealth’s claims last year, underscoring the importance of these funds being used for their intended purpose.
“Ang pondo ng PhilHealth ay dapat gamitin sa health. Pera ito ng taumbayan at dapat lamang na ibalik sa kanila sa pamamagitan ng maayos na serbisyong medikal,” Go stated, stressing that healthcare funds should alleviate the financial burdens of patients and ensure continuous medical service delivery.
He also raised concerns about the P60 billion in excess funds that were allegedly misappropriated for other projects instead of being used to support healthcare. Go condemned this misuse of public funds, calling it illegal and immoral.
In a recent Senate session, Go highlighted the issue of the P60 billion, which was taken from PhilHealth for unrelated projects. He expressed gratitude to the Supreme Court for ordering the return of the funds but questioned the lack of a budget for patient care in 2025. “Salamat sa Supreme Court dahil ipinag-utos na ibalik sa PhilHealth ang P60 bilyon. Pero paano naman ang pondong ipinagkait sa mga pasyente dahil sa zero budget allocation noong isang taon?” Go said. “Napakarami sanang Pilipinong may sakit ang natulungan nito, napakaraming buhay sana ang naisalba. Mariin ang ating panawagan na maibalik ito sa taumbayan.”
Go has called for the returned funds to be used directly for healthcare, stressing that many Filipinos in need of medical assistance could have been helped with these resources. As a lawmaker, Go reaffirmed his commitment to advocating for the proper use of public funds, particularly those intended for healthcare.
“Bilang mambabatas, gagawin ko ang aking trabaho sa abot ng aking makakaya upang mapabuti ang buhay ng ating mga kababayan,” Go said.
