At least 65 organizations of medical professionals and former Department of Health (DoH) heads on Monday aired their opposition against the fund transfer of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to the National Treasury in anticipation of the scheduled second tranche amounting to P10 billion on 21 August.

In a “white coat rally” at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), the health groups, including the Philippine Medical Association, Philippine College of Physicians, Philippine Pharmacists Association, Philippine Nurses Association, Philippine League of Government and Private Midwives, and Philippine Physical Therapy Association, demanded the government to stop further transfers of PhilHealth funds.

Former Health secretaries include Jaime Galvez Tan, Manuel Dayrit, Francisco Duque, Esperanza Cabral, and Enrique Ona.

In a letter addressed to Finance Secretary Ralph Recto, they urged Recto to “be sensitive to public opinion and exercise prudence and caution by not transferring the next tranche of funds and succeeding transfers.”

Concerned groups and individuals representing the labor sector and grassroots communities filed a petition to the Supreme Court (SC), questioning the constitutionality of the fund transfer.