Senator Pia Cayetano on Tuesday urged the Senate to ensure that the ₱60 billion returned to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), as ordered by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., remains in the 2026 national budget.
Cayetano stressed that the amount, already reflected in the 2026 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) passed by the House of Representatives, must be preserved in the final General Appropriations Act (GAA) to uphold the President’s directive and comply with existing laws.
“We must ensure that this directive is not left to pronouncements alone but enforced through the budget process, with every peso serving the health needs of our people,” she said.
The senator also reminded that under the Universal Health Care Act and the Sin Tax Reform Laws of 2012 and 2019, a portion of sin tax revenues is mandated to fund universal health care through PhilHealth.
“These laws make it clear that funds from sin taxes must go to health. Diverting or withholding them is a violation of the law,” Cayetano emphasized.