Where’s the P90B? JV asks re PhilHealth fund gap

Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito is pushing a legislative inquiry into the reported failure of certain government agencies to transfer gaming revenues amounting to P90 billion to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).

“As the principal author and sponsor of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act, I will push for a UHC Oversight Committee hearing at the opening of Congress to thoroughly investigate these issues — so we can finally identify the implementation gaps and hold the right people accountable,” Ejercito said in a statement on Tuesday.

Citing a report from a business newspaper, Ejercito said the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) are mandated to transfer portions of their revenue to PhilHealth.

“It is clearly stated in the Universal Health Care Act that aside from sin taxes, a portion of the income from PAGCOR and PCSO must be automatically allocated to PhilHealth,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.

“This is not optional. However, according to a report, over P90 billion from gaming revenues remains unaccounted for — unclear whether it has been transferred to PhilHealth since 2019,” he added.

According to the report, PhilHealth has yet to receive a single centavo from PAGCOR and PCSO since 2019 despite the enactment of the Republic Act 11223, or the UHC Act that established PhilHealth.

Ejercito noted that under Section 37 of the UHC Act,  “50 percent of the National Government share from the income of PAGCOR as provided for in Presidential Decree No. 1869, as amended; and 40 percent of the Charity Fund, net of Documentary Stamp Tax Payments, and mandatory contributions of the PCSO as provided for in RA No. 1169, as amended, shall be transferred to PhilHealth for the improvement of its benefit packages that will cater to the vast majority of members here and abroad.”

The lawmaker stressed that since online gambling is booming, it is “even more critical to ensure that the funds legally allocated for health are not diverted, wasted, or simply left pending.”

“And if online gambling operators are either not paying correctly or not fulfilling their obligations under the UHC, there’s even less justification to allow them to continue operating. The harm is clear, while the benefit remains questionable,” he said.

“We are facing two simultaneous crises: The growing addiction to online gambling, and the health crisis caused by the poor implementation of UHC,” he added.

He continued: “Let’s not gamble with the health of the Filipino people. The legally mandated funds must be released to PhilHealth.”