The Coalition for People’s Right to Health (CPRH) welcomes the Supreme Court’s decision to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the transfer of P89.9 billion of PhilHealth funds to the national treasury. This would not be possible if not for the petitioners and the people’s collective struggle.
The remaining P29.9 billion was set to be transferred to the national treasury in November.
The first tranche of unused funds amounting to P20 billion was transferred on May 10, the second tranche of P10 billion was transferred on August 21, and the third tranche totaling P30 billion was transferred on October 16.
As the TRO is effective immediately, PhilHealth and the national government must heed the High Court’s decision.
CPRH calls for the P89.9 billion PhilHealth funds to directly fund the maintenance and improvement of public health facilities, fund salaries and benefits of health personnel, and provide free health services for the people.
The government must prioritize re-allocating additional budget towards a free, comprehensive, national public healthcare system that is accessible and available to the people, from urban to rural communities.#
