The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has pledged to ensure the timely and transparent release of PhilHealth funds to support the expansion of benefits and improvement of services next year.
PhilHealth is set to receive a total of ₱113 billion in 2026, combining the restored ₱60 billion in withheld funds and the originally proposed ₱53.13 billion subsidy.
Executive Secretary Ralph Recto called the allocation the “boldest and most decisive investment in universal healthcare for vulnerable and underprivileged Filipinos.”
Recto said a significant portion of the subsidy will come from sin tax revenues collected from alcohol and tobacco products.
He emphasized that the unprecedented funding will directly support the healthcare needs of indigent families, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable sectors.
The Supreme Court, in a Dec. 3 ruling, unanimously ordered the return of the previously transferred ₱60 billion to PhilHealth and barred further transfers of the remaining ₱29.9 billion balance.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had already directed as early as September the restoration of the withheld funding.
Recto said the 2026 budget shows that the administration has delivered “in full” on its commitment.
He added that the government is “not just keeping its promise but exceeding it” through the expanded allocation.
The ₱113-billion subsidy marks the largest single-year investment for the poor under the Universal Health Care program.