MANILA — The executive branch will return P60 billion in unused Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) funds to the state health insurer in compliance with a Supreme Court directive, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Dave Gomez announced Friday, December 5.
Gomez said Malacañang received an official notice from the Supreme Court ordering the government to remit the remaining balance of PhilHealth funds that were neither obligated nor disbursed by various agencies in previous budget cycles.
He said the executive branch has begun coordinating with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Department of Finance (DOF) to identify the specific fund sources and establish the timeline for the remittance. The transfer will be processed under existing budgetary and accounting rules governing trust and special purpose funds, he added.
According to Gomez, the order covers PhilHealth funds that the national government previously realigned or retained under the General Appropriations Act but ultimately remained unused by implementing agencies.
He said PhilHealth’s management and board of directors will be formally notified of the schedule and mechanism of the fund return once technical validation is completed by concerned agencies.
The government will document the P60-billion transfer in official budget reports and submit compliance updates to the Supreme Court as required, Gomez said.
Further details on the implementation of the directive will be released by the Palace after interagency consultations and the verification of all affected appropriations.
