A petition for certiorari and prohibition was filed on Tuesday before the Supreme Court to question the constitutionality of the zero subsidy allocated to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).
The petition was filed by cardiologist, Dr. Tony Leachon, with House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, Senate President Francis Escudero, and Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin as respondents.
“Kaya kinu-kwestyon natin ang constitutionality kasi unconstitutional ang zero subsidy sa PhilHealth kasi first time iyan in Philippine history na hindi binibigyan importansya ng Pangulo ng Pilipinas at ng Senate President at ng Lower House ang kalusugan ng bawat Pilipino,” Leachon said.
The petition includes a request for a temporary restraining order (TRO) to stop the implementation of Republic Act No. 12116, also known as the General Appropriations Act of 2025, which does not allocate funds for the state insurer.
Leachon also requested that the court issue a writ of mandamus instructing the relevant government agencies to promptly allocate and release the required funds to PhilHealth, in compliance with the provisions of Republic Act No. 112233 (Universal Health Care Act) and the 1987 Constitution.
“Without this court’s action, the government’s silence will become an acceptance of suffering, and the dreams of equitable healthcare will wither away for those who need it most,” Leachon said in the petition.
Leachon criticized the arbitrary realignments and funding increases for the House of Representatives (from P16.35 billion to P33.67 billion) and the Senate (from P12.83 billion to P13.93 billion), which deprived Filipinos of a transparent budget process.
He pointed out that the 2025 GAA allocated no funds for PhilHealth, despite the clear mandate of RA No. 112233. He also highlighted the respondents’ justification for this omission, citing PhilHealth’s reserve funds of about P600 billion.
Additionally, Leachon referenced Supreme Court Justice Amy Lazaro-Javier’s February 4, 2025 statement during oral arguments, where she claimed that the state insurer is bankrupt.
“Eto Supreme Court, dyan lang sa kabila ang PGH; ang Malacañang eh wala pang kalahating kilometro; ang Department of Finance dyan lang sa Roxas Boulevard, wala pang kalahating (kilometro), bulag ba sila para hindi makita ang Philippine General Hospital na pumipila ang mga tao?” Leachon said.