The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday, October 29, granted a temporary restraining order preventing the transfer of the P89.9 billion in unused excess funds from Philhealth to the national treasury.
SC spokesperson Atty. Camille Ting said this in a press conference after the 1Sambayan Coalition, Bayan Muna, Senator Koko Pimentel, and other groups recently filed a petition with the SC to prevent the transfer of PhilHealth’s surplus funds.
“The Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order to enjoin the further transfer of PhilHealth funds to the National Treasury,” Ting said.
According to Ting, TRO is effective immediately to prevent further transfer of funds.
In May, P20 billion was transferred to the national treasury, followed by P10 billion in August, with a third tranche of P30 billion scheduled for October.
Asked if the PhilHealth funds already transferred would be returned to the agency, Ting said no as it was “not the subject of the TRO.”
Ting said SC directed the respondents to submit their comments on 1Sambayan’s petition, as well as on the application for a temporary restraining order (TRO) and a writ of preliminary injunction, within a non-extendable period of 10 days from receiving notice.
Finance Secretary Recto stated that PhilHealth’s programs will remain unaffected by the order, as the state insurer still holds P500 billion in its fund for benefits.
In August, multiple individuals and organizations petitioned the Supreme Court to halt the transfer of PhilHealth funds to the national budget. (TCSP)
