Senate Majority Leader JV Ejercito warned that the more than 100-percent increase in funding for the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) could turn healthcare into a form of political patronage and undermine the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act.
Ejercito raised concerns over the MAIFIP budget jump from ₱24.23 billion in the National Expenditure Program to ₱51.6 billion in the bicameral conference committee version, saying it risks shifting healthcare access from an automatic system to one mediated by politicians.
“This sharp increase… might be interpreted as politically mediated access to healthcare,” Ejercito said, warning that it could weaken PhilHealth, increase long-term out-of-pocket expenses, and erode patients’ dignity.
“Ang pagkakaroon ng isang malusog na populasyon ay obligasyon ng pamahalaan at hindi utang na loob kanino man,” he added.
He stressed that the UHC Act was designed to ensure immediate and guaranteed medical assistance, not aid dependent on political discretion, and cautioned that such a large MAIFIP expansion sends the wrong signal about government priorities.
“The UHC Act is already a game-changer in our health system, but its success depends on where we put our money and what we choose to prioritize,” Ejercito said.
Instead of expanding MAIFIP, he urged Congress to allocate more funds directly to PhilHealth as the first payor of hospital expenses, or to hospitals implementing zero-balance billing.
“Dapat tayong maging matibay sa ating paninindigan: sa oras ng pangangailangan ang tulong ay dapat abot-kamay at automatic, at wala sa diskresyon ng mga politiko,” he said.
Ejercito also pointed to a gap between lawmakers’ calls for health reform and their actual budget choices.
“‘Let us put our money where our mouth is,’ ika nga po. Madalas tayo magtalumpati at manawagan ng tunay na reporma sa kalusugan ngunit hindi naman natin tinutungtungan ang ating mga salitang binibitawan,” he said.
He called on Congress to reconsider the MAIFIP increase to protect the poor and those “one illness away from poverty,” warning against a system where patients must seek favors instead of receiving healthcare as a right.
“Ibuhos natin ang pondong pang-kalusugan diretso sa health system, mga ospital, at pasyente. Hindi dapat nanlilimos ng serbisyong pangkalusugan ang ating mga kababayan,” he said.
Ejercito was unable to attend the bicameral meeting, as he was hospitalized and recovering from illness.