00:00Some groups stopped the temporary restraining order against the transfer of almost Php 70 billion not used by PhilHealth Fund.
00:08Back to the government.
00:09This is a fight against the law.
00:11Salima got the point.
00:13Refrain.
00:17Different groups and concerned citizens have already appealed to the Supreme Court
00:21to stop the transfer of almost Php 90 billion not used by PhilHealth Fund to various projects of the government
00:30together with the petitioners of Senate Minority Leader Coco Pimentel and the Philippine Medical Association.
00:36They are asking for a TRO or Temporary Restraining Order and a Writ of Preliminary Injunction
00:42against the implementation of the Department of Finance Circular 003-2024.
00:48We believe that this provision is unconstitutional and inconsistent with the laws that we already have,
00:55especially when it comes to Universal Health Insurance.
00:59The law states that the PhilHealth Fund should only be used for two purposes.
01:04First, to improve our medical services.
01:07And second, to lower our premium.
01:09That's all. Nothing else.
01:11Among the petitioners,
01:12PhilHealth Fund was used for other purposes only for the sake of health.
01:18We are asking for the approval of the Department of Finance and PhilHealth.
01:22But in the Senate hearing,
01:24Finance Secretary Ralph Recto said that the Governance Commission for GOCCs
01:31and the Office of the Government Corporate Council agreed that this is legal
01:34and that it is not part of the Universal Health Care Act.
01:39And to fund the unprogrammed appropriations.
01:43Congress determined that there is another way,
01:47aside from new taxes as well as debts.
01:51And this is through the collection of the sleeping and unused money of the GOCCs,
02:00which we are still paying interest for.
02:03PhilHealth said that it is legal to transfer almost P90 billion to the national government.
02:10And the fund is not from the contribution of PhilHealth members,
02:14but from the subsidy of the government.
02:17There's still a remaining P500 billion in PhilHealth.
02:21So it doesn't mean that because P90 billion is gone, PhilHealth will lose money.
02:25For GMA Integrated News, I'm Nima Rafra.
02:28Tune in for 24 Hours.
02:33For GMA Integrated News, I'm Nima Rafra.
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