SEN. Aquilino Pimentel III’s petition questioning the legality of the transfer of the P89.9 billion fund of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to the national treasury got the support of a major labor group.
In a statement on Saturday, the Nagkaisa Labor Coalition said they stand with Pimentel and other petitioners who seek to question the transfer of the funds from PhilHealth to the national treasury.
“The Nagkakaisa is grateful to and stands united with the petitioners in challenging the validity of Department of Finance (DoF) Circular No. 03-2024, which directed the transfer of P89.9 billion from PhilHealth’s reserves to the national government.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel 3rd (Voltaire F. Domingo/Senate Social Media Unit)
“The coalition firmly believes that this transfer violates the provisions of Republic Act No. 11223 (Universal Health Care Act), specifically Section 11, which governs the use and limitations of PhilHealth’s reserve funds,” the group said.
According to Nagkaisa chairman Sonny Matula, the petition aligns with the group’s concerns on the proper use of the PhilHealth funds.
“The transfer of these funds, intended for health care benefits, to the national treasury raises serious legal and ethical questions as it ignores and does away [with] several laws and basic norms,” Matula said.
Nagkaisa also intends to file a separate petition and formally request the Office of the President to “rescind” DoF Circular 03-2024 and to return the P20 billion of PhilHealth funds that were already transferred to the national treasury last May.
“Our separate petition will further highlight the serious implications of this fund transfer on the country’s health care system and the welfare of our workers,” Matula said.
“Workers and their unions’ intervention will strengthen good governance and democracy. The filing of the petition demonstrates that citizens are aware, vigilant and will not tolerate actions detrimental to the common good,” he added.
They urged the government to take “immediate action” in rectifying the situation and to uphold the legal provisions that govern the funds of PhilHealth.
In a letter to President Marcos, the group also requested a social dialogue with the administration on other critical issues on labor, including the P150 nationwide daily wage hike, contractualization and other matters.
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