By Lade Jean Kabagani

Copyright tribune

Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan on Saturday hailed President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s decision to restore P60 billion in funds to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), calling it a timely and necessary step to rebuild public confidence in the country’s healthcare system. “This is a welcome move, especially as our public hospitals and frontliners continue to face immense challenges. We now urge PhilHealth to act swiftly and transparently in allocating these resources to where they are needed most,” Pangilinan said in a statement. The P60 billion returned to PhilHealth came from savings under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) after the agency resubmitted a trimmed P625 billion budget proposal for 2026, which was down by P255 billion from its original P881 billion request. The budget revision follows ongoing investigations into alleged irregularities in DPWH’s flood control projects. The restoration of PhilHealth’s funds follows a controversial order last year by the Department of Finance (DOF) to transfer P89.9 billion in PhilHealth’s excess funds to the national Treasury. Of that amount, P60 billion was already moved, while the remaining P29.9 billion remains pending due to a temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the Supreme Court. Pangilinan, a long-time advocate of social welfare and public health reform, emphasized that the reinstated funds must now be used efficiently to improve access to medical services, expand. “Transparency and accountability must go hand in hand with funding restoration,” he added, vowing to closely monitor PhilHealth’s use of the returned funds. Last year, the Department of Finance (DOF) ordered the transfer of PhilHealth’s excess funds amounting to P89.9 billion to the Treasury. Of this amount, P60 billion was already transferred to the national coffers, with the remaining P29.9 billion withheld because of a temporary restraining order from the Supreme Court