SC slaps down gov’t

SC slaps down gov’t | Daily Tribune

The preface to the Supreme Court (SC) ruling, which declared the conspiracy between Congress and the Department of Finance in the pilfering of P89.9 billion from the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) unconstitutional, stands as a sweeping indictment of the government’s failure to uphold its duty to protect the health of its citizens.

The lengthy decision struck down a special provision in the 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA) that allowed the Department of Finance (DoF) to sweep up excess funds from government-owned and controlled corporations to fund unprogrammed appropriations (UA).

It also deemed unconstitutional the directive that then-Finance Secretary Ralph Recto issued to implement the GAA provision.

The transfer of the P60-billion PhilHealth fund to the National Treasury was also voided by the ruling, and the government was directed to return the amount to the health insurance agency.

In so many words, the SC stressed that the government must focus on implementing the Universal Healthcare Act (UHCA), which mandates free hospitalization and medicines for all Filipinos. The introduction to the SC decision stressed the magistrates’ point.

“When 42.7 percent of healthcare expenses are paid directly out of pocket by Filipino families, a painful truth emerges: wealth is health. And for too many, this truth decides whether life proceeds with dignity or spirals into debt, despair, and suffering,” the ruling penned by Associate Justice Amy Lazaro Javier said.

It referred to a situation where a father suffered a stroke worsened by diabetes.

“His leg was amputated. The hospital bill reached P400,000. Even after discounts, his family was short by P65,000. They borrowed money to be able to pay it, and debt began its cruel descent,” the narration went.

The costs did not end at discharge as medications, therapy, and home adjustments followed.

“Unable to cope, they rationed his prescriptions. Not out of neglect, but necessity, their budget left no other option,” it continued.

The magistrates indicated that this was not an isolated tragedy as it echoes across thousands of Filipino households, “unheard, unseen, but no less real.”

It mentioned the contradiction that faces the nation: “What good is a constitutionally guaranteed right to life when the right to health remains financially unreachable?”

It cited a deafening silence that looms between the law and lived reality.

“The right to health is not abstract philosophy. It is the heartbeat of the right to life — the foundation on which all other freedoms stand. It is primus inter pares — first among equals — in the constellation of rights that uphold human dignity.”

The reality confronting the populace is that illness does not strike in isolation. It devours entire families.

It conceded that rights need resources but noted that health care is persistently underfunded, which the justices said is a paradox, given “how foundational it is.”

It asked: “Why does the most immediate right remain the most neglected? To remain silent is to remain complicit. Those who are sick may not storm the halls of power, but their struggles must command equal urgency. Their pain is enduring.”

While the UHCA is a landmark step, it can be only “as strong as the commitment behind it.”

“And commitment needs funding, structure, empathy, and vigilance.”

The Supreme Court’s discourse serves as a stark reminder to the government that funds meant for the health of its citizens are sacred and must never be diverted for political schemes or personal gain.