Philhealth has enough funds to raise members benefits, finance key programs: DOF
Even without the P89.9 billion “sleeping fund,” the remaining P550 billion in PhilHealth would still be enough to cover the 30 percent increase in members’ benefits this year, Department of Finance (DOF) Director Euvimil Nina Asuncion said on Monday.
In an episode of Malacanang Insider, Asuncion made the assurance as she underscored the 30 percent increase on benefits this year as a fulfillment to the commitment of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during his third State of the Nation Address (SONA).
It is also an answer for the claims of members in the coming two to three years, she added.
“Even if we take away the P89.9 billion from PhilHealth, mayroon pa pong matitirang 550 billion pesos sa kanilang pondo. Ito po ay enough para mag-answer po sa increase ng benefits of around 30 percent,” Asuncion explained.
“Ito po iyong prinamis ni President noong kaniyang SONA na mangyayari ngayong taon na ito and even to answer for the claims two to three years down the line,” she added.
Asked on where the sleeping funds or the excess will be used, Asuncion disclosed the General Appropriations Act (GAA) has listed several programs and projects for that.
Among these include the increase in government employees’ salary, of which P40 billion will go to the Salary Standardization VI, she said. The first tranche remitted by PhilHealth was spent on health emergency allowance of healthcare workers during the pandemic.
On foreign-assisted projects, Asuncion cited projects ending malnutrition in rural areas; implementing innovation program from TESDA; and increasing by 30 percent the revenues of farmers and fisherfolk under the Philippine Rural Development Program are being funded by the excess funds from government-owned-and-controlled-corporations (GOCCs).
She also disclosed the long list of infrastructure projects to be funded by the excess funds which includes farm-to-commercial center roads; interconnectedness of islands, particularly the Panay-Guimaras Island Bridge; and support on flood management and control in Metro Manila and river basins in Luzon and Mindanao.
“So lahat ito ay nakalista sa GAA. So mayroong balita na sinasabi, wala pong list ‘no kung saan pupunta ito. Nasa GAA po iyong listahan, and kasama po doon, nakalista doon iyong pagtaas ng suweldo ng ating mga kawani sa gobyerno,” she said.
“Forty billion will go to the Salary Standardization VI. Also, the first tranche na ni-remit po ng PhilHealth sa atin, ginastos na po natin iyan at nabayaran po natin iyong health emergency allowance ng ating mga healthcare workers na prinamis po natin sa kanila noong time ng pandemic,” Asuncion added.
“Aside from that, we also have programs ‘no na foreign-assisted projects. Ito po ay mayroon on nutrition para po matapos na po ang malnutrition lalo po sa ating rural areas. Mayroon po tayo sa education, TESDA?I think mayroon pong innovation program ang TESDA, and we are supporting that as well using these funds,” she said.
“Tapos mayroon din po tayong on agriculture, iyong kanilang Philippine Rural Development Program wherein aim po nila na itaas iyong kanilang kita ‘no ng ating mga farmers at mangingisda by 30 percent.Aside from that, of course, infrastructure ? mahaba ang listahan ng infrastructure at malaki rin po ang impact nito dahil we are connecting people, we’re connecting farmers to commercial centers,” she added.
“And, of course, iyong interconnectedness of our islands ? nandiyan iyong Panay-Guimaras Island Bridge, of course, malaking isyu, flood management and flood control. We are also supporting iyong program ‘no on flood control in Metro Manila, as well as iyong ating river basins in Luzon and as well as those in Mindanao.” Presidential News Desk
