A P1.06-trillion proposed health budget, new PhilHealth reforms and a pipeline of legislation are being marshaled to improve Universal Health Care (UHC) delivery in Philippine communities.
Economic managers, health officials, and legislators outlined the initiatives during the first Unilab Foundation Executive Symposium at the Bayanihan Center in Pasig City, where national and local leaders examined the resources and institutional reforms needed to strengthen frontline health services.
Budget and Management Secretary Kim Robert C. De Leon said the proposed 2027 national budget assigns P1.06 trillion to the health sector, including P362.73 billion for the implementation of the UHC Act.
The amount for UHC includes P270.98 billion for the Department of Health and its attached agencies and a P74.45-billion subsidy for the Philippine Health Insurance Corp., or PhilHealth, to strengthen financial protection for more than 11 million Filipinos.
‘We will continue investing in health. We will continue strengthening the fiscal capacity of our LGUs. And we will continue pursuing reforms that make public spending more efficient, equitable, transparent, and accountable,’ De Leon said.
Finance Secretary Frederick D. Go said the Department of Finance would continue supporting fiscal and institutional reforms intended to strengthen PhilHealth and primary health care.
‘On the part of the DOF, we remain committed to strengthening PhilHealth through our fiscal and institutional reform agenda, including the RISE 30 mission. I have worked personally with PhilHealth in developing the Yakap program, which strengthens primary health care and is an important part of the RISE 30 agenda,’ Go shared.
He said successful UHC implementation requires adequate and properly managed funding, resources distributed according to actual needs, strong implementing institutions, and cooperation among government, the private sector, and other stakeholders.
Health Secretary Dr. Edwin M. Mercado said increased funding must be matched by strong administrative and operational systems that can sustain services.
‘A resilient health system does not end at the frontlines. Its foundation must be laid through plans, accounting ledgers, procurement, budget hearings, and all other operational matters which strengthen our programs, policies, and strategies to ensure that care delivered at the frontlines will be sustained,’ Mercado said.
He also emphasized the need for functioning health facilities and sufficient personnel to deliver services.
‘Sabi nga namin, kahit may universal coverage, kung wala namang nagbibigay ng serbisyo, balewala rin ang UHC,’ Mercado said.
Acting PhilHealth President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Beverly Lorraine C. Ho, meanwhile, said every Filipino household should have a public or private health-care provider within reasonable reach under a coherent province- or city-wide health system.
She said health facilities must have clearly defined functions and referral pathways, while interoperable electronic medical records should allow patient information to move with individuals across different providers. This would help prevent repeated consultations and diagnostic tests caused by disconnected information systems.
Ho also called on LGUs to evolve from being operators of public facilities into integrators of their entire local health systems, bringing government and private providers together under the leadership of local chief executives.
‘The policies will come out this year, we will operationalize next year, and we do hope that everyone in the room will help us work on this together with our partner province- and city-wide health systems-and just make it work, because that’s really what the country needs for now,’ Ho said.
On the legislative front, Senator Risa Hontiveros said the success of UHC should be measured by the quality of care available where Filipinos first seek assistance.
Hontiveros, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography and an author and sponsor of the UHC Act, cited a number of proposed measures intended to reinforce health-care delivery.
These include the Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers; DOH Hospital Bed Capacity and Service Capability Rationalization Act; establishment of DOH hospitals in seven provinces without a national government-run hospital; Philippine Geriatric Center Act; Health Outreach for Seniors and Indigents Program; Enhanced Anti-Hospital Detention Act; Healthcare Proxy Act; National Autism Care, Support and Inclusion Act; and Comprehensive Lupus Prevention Act.
The symposium also brought the experiences of LGUs into the national policy discussion.
Among the local chief executives who attended were Naga City Mayor Maria Leonor ‘Leni’ G. Robredo, Iloilo Gov. Arthur R. Defensor Jr., Cebu Gov. Pamela S. Baricuatro, Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio V. Lacson, Batanes Gov. Ronald P. Aguto Jr., Antique Gov. Paolo Everardo S. Javier, and Romblon Gov. Trina Firmalo-Fabic.
They discussed the programs, operational challenges, and lessons emerging from UHC implementation in their respective localities. The sessions highlighted how geography, fiscal capacity, available health infrastructure, and administrative capability influence the quality and accessibility of care.
Reliable health data, coordinated referral networks, adequate financing, and strong local leadership were identified as essential to building health systems that can respond to community needs.
Unilab Foundation Executive Director Atty. Jose Maria ‘Joey’ A. Ochave welcomed around 200 participants, including national and local government officials, health leaders, researchers, development partners, civil society representatives, and private-sector stakeholders.
Carrying the theme ‘Building Enduring Frontlines: Transforming LGU Health Systems,’ the symposium focused on translating national UHC policies into stronger and more sustainable services in cities, municipalities, and provinces.
The gathering was an initiative of the Unilab Foundation’s Sustainable Health Care program, which works with government agencies, LGUs, and partner institutions to strengthen local health systems through public-private collaboration.