A petition questioning the legality of the zero subsidy for the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) under the 2025 national budget was filed before the Supreme Court on Tuesday, February 25.
Health reform advocate Dr. Tony Leachon filed the petition for certiorari and prohibition, challenging the government’s decision not to allocate any subsidy for the state health insurer.
Named as respondents in the petition are House Speaker Martin Romualdez, Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero, and Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin.
In his petition, Dr. Leachon urged the Supreme Court to issue a temporary restraining order or a writ of preliminary injunction to halt the implementation of the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) concerning the zero subsidy for PhilHealth.
He also requested the Court to issue a writ of mandamus directing the relevant government agencies to immediately allocate and release the necessary funds for PhilHealth, in accordance with the Universal Health Care Act and the 1987 Constitution.
Dr. Leachon explained that the petition was filed because the lack of subsidy for PhilHealth is unconstitutional and marks the first time in the country’s history that the health of Filipinos has been disregarded by the President, the Senate President, and the House of Representatives.
Dr. Leachon explained that the petition was filed because the non-allocation of a subsidy for PhilHealth is unconstitutional and unprecedented in the country’s history, where the health of Filipinos has been disregarded by the President of the Philippines, the Senate President, and the House of Representatives.
Leachon further claimed that realigning and increasing the budget for other sectors, particularly the House and Senate, was done unfairly, depriving Filipinos of their right to a transparent funding process.
Leachon explained that the realignment and increase in funding for other sectors, particularly the House and Senate, were done unfairly, depriving Filipinos of their right to a transparent budgeting process.
Instead, the respondents justified the exclusion of PhilHealth from the budget through the availability of approximately P600 billion in reserve funds.
The petition was filed amid the Supreme Court’s ongoing oral arguments on cases challenging the transfer of PhilHealth funds to the national treasury.