Recto pointed out that the DoF's initiative to reclaim unused funds from government-owned and controlled corporations, including PhilHealth, is following Republic Act No. 11975 or the General Appropriations Act of 2024.
The Department of Finance (DoF) will comply with a Supreme Court temporary restraining order regarding petitions on the use of idle and excess funds from the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).
In a statement on Tuesday, Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto said the agency remains open to addressing the issues raised by the high tribunal.
"We respect the Supreme Court’s intervention. As a public servant myself, I recognize the right of every citizen to seek redress from the courts. Rest assured that the DoF will fully comply with the order of the Supreme Court,” Recto said.
"We give our full cooperation to the Supreme Court as we look forward to the opportunity to shed light on the issues presented during the oral arguments. With this honorable platform, we trust that all issues will be addressed once and for all,” he added.
However, Recto pointed out that the DoF's initiative to reclaim unused funds from government-owned and controlled corporations, including PhilHealth, is following Republic Act No. 11975, or the General Appropriations Act of 2024.
He said the DoF “exercised due diligence and consulted extensively with the government’s legal experts” to ensure full compliance with the law.
The DoF had received legal opinions indicating that PhilHealth’s unutilized subsidies do not fall under its reserve funds or income restricted by the Universal Health Care Act and can be used by the national government for general purposes.
According to Recto, the unused government subsidies for PhilHealth were allocated for significant programs, including unpaid health workers' allowances during the pandemic, the Salary Standardization VI, the Armed Forces of the Philippines modernization, and infrastructure projects under the Build Better More initiative.
Other beneficiaries include the Philippine Multisectoral Nutrition Project, the Philippine Rural Development Project, and the Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development Project.
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