Following the Supreme Court (SC) decision to return the P60 billion in funds of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) from the National Treasury, the Office of the Solicitor General will review the ruling to determine the appropriate action, according to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).
‘We respect the decision of the Supreme Court. The Office of the Solicitor General will review the ruling and decide on the appropriate course of action to take, including the filing of a motion for reconsideration,’ the PCO said in a statement.
The SC declared void the Special Provision 1(d), Chapter XLIII of the 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA) and the Department of Finance Circular 003-2024. The Special Provision 1(d) of the 2024 GAA authorized the return of ‘fund balance’ or excess reserve funds of government-owned or controlled corporations to the National Treasury.
PhilHealth remitted P60 billion to the National Treasury under the 2024 GAA provision and the DOF circular to transfer P89.9 billion to the National Treasury. However, the SC found that the special provision in the GAA is ambiguous for its concept of ‘fund balance,’ which is not defined in the 2024 GAA.
The PCO also noted President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive last September 20 to restore the P60 billion funds of PhilHealth.
The PCO said that this is ‘a recognition of the agency’s stronger performance, increased absorptive capacity and expanded benefits in line with the government’s goal of delivering universal healthcare for all Filipinos.’
Marcos then said that the funds would be returned to the state health insurer, following the savings generated from other government agencies, particularly the Department of Public Works and Highways. /mr