Senate Finance Committee chairperson Win Gatchalian said the Department of Health (DOH) can remove the use of guarantee letters (GLs) in medical assistance programs by revising its guidelines, stressing that no law mandates their existence.
“‘Yung GL, it’s part of the DOH process. So, kung tatanggalin ‘yan, DOH na magtanggal n’yan. Kaya nilang tanggalin ‘yan. Hindi kailangan ng batas ‘yan,” Gatchalian said.
“In fact, wala namang batas creating the GL. It’s their guidelines that created the GL,” he added.
Guarantee letters, which patients secure from lawmakers to access aid under the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP), have drawn criticism for fostering patronage politics.
Watchdog groups argue they allow politicians to claim credit for taxpayer-funded assistance.
Gatchalian clarified that the 2026 national budget’s “anti-epal” provision, which bans political branding and involvement in distributing aid, does not explicitly cover GLs since the budget law is limited to appropriations.
He said the DOH has the authority to either scrap or reform the system.
“Kung gustong tanggalin ng DOH, pwede naman tanggalin. Kung pwedeng i-reform para mas mabilis ibigay sa tao, mas pwede rin yun. Ang importante lang, para sa akin, importante natutulungan ng tao,” he said.