HOUSE of Representatives Deputy Minority Leader Leila M. de Lima and Party-list Rep. Chel Diokno of Akbayan have both filed separate resolutions seeking a congressional investigation into the alleged misuse, irregularities, and inefficiencies in the Department of Health’s (DOH) Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP) and other related health programs.
De Lima filed House Resolution 353 following reports of massive wastage of DOH funds and potential corruption among government officials, employees, and private contractors-resulting in what she described as ‘haunted hospitals,’ or abandoned, incomplete, and non-operational health facilities across the country.
‘More and more anomalies are being uncovered in the DOH. With so many incomplete or abandoned hospitals and health facilities, are you the Department of Health or the Department of Haunted Hospitals?’ de Lima, the nominee of the party-list group Mamamayang Liberal, asked.
‘These issues of incompetence and irregularities are very alarming and frustrating, especially for the Filipino people who urgently need quality, accessible, and affordable medical services,’ she said.
De Lima lamented that despite the billions of pesos allocated for the construction of hospitals and health centers, many remain unfinished or deliberately left incomplete.
During the House deliberations on the proposed 2026 DOH budget, Diokno flagged that only 200 of the 600 health centers constructed under the HFEP were operational as of 2025. This observation echoed findings cited in de Lima’s resolution, which referred to a 2024 Commission on Audit (COA) report revealing that 123 projects worth P11.5 billion were not completed within their contract deadlines.
Moreover, during the House plenary debates on the DOH budget for next year, de Lima also expressed alarm over the insufficient supply-or complete lack-of medicines in public hospitals, as well as the questionable allocation of government-procured mental health medicines worth hundreds of millions, which are nearing expiration, a portion of which was reportedly delivered to the Rotary Club of Quezon City, but denied by a former official of the latter organization.
In a similar move, Diokno, joined by the Akbayan Reform Bloc members, Reps. Perci Cendaña, Dadah Kiram Ismula, and Dinagat Islands Rep. Kaka Bag-ao, filed HR 351 urging the House Committees on Public Accounts and Health to investigate alleged irregularities and inefficiencies in the HFEP, which has received hundreds of billions in funding over the past decade.
The HFEP was designed to construct, rehabilitate, and upgrade barangay health stations, rural health units, and other medical facilities nationwide. However, Diokno pointed out that despite massive allocations, many of these facilities remain idle or underutilized.
‘This is a matter that needs to be looked into because the health of the Filipino people is at stake. Hundreds of billions of pesos have been allotted for this program, yet it has not delivered on its promise of accessible healthcare for our countrymen,’ Diokno said.
Data presented by Akbayan shows that the HFEP budget ballooned from only P43.5 million in 2007 to P34.7 billion in 2025, with a cumulative allocation of P241.4 billion over the past 18 years. The DOH has also disclosed that around P400 billion has been released to local government units (LGUs) under the program in the last decade.
Despite the hefty funding, Diokno said Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa himself admitted that only 200 out of 600 HFEP-built centers are functional, comparing the unfinished facilities to ‘flood control projects’ left incomplete.
‘These irregularities undermine the objectives of Republic Act 11223, or the Universal Health Care Act, which guarantees equitable access to quality healthcare for all Filipinos,’ the Akbayan resolution added.
Both lawmakers stressed that Congress has the constitutional duty to ensure transparency and accountability in the use of public funds and to protect the integrity of programs meant to deliver essential health services.
De Lima previously filed HR 46 in July to probe the unpaid claims of private hospitals under the DOH’s Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (Maifip) program, which had caused several hospitals to temporarily suspend the acceptance of guarantee letters.
With the filing of HR 351 and 353, lawmakers are calling for a full-blown congressional inquiry to determine accountability and institute reforms that will prevent further waste of public funds and ensure that government health programs truly serve the Filipino people.