The proposed funding for the Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) has been increased to ₱51 billion for 2026 after lawmakers finalized next year’s national budget.
The bicameral conference committee (bicam) restored the funding following the House panel’s appeal, reversing the Senate’s proposed cut from ₱29 billion. Lawmakers noted that key health reforms, including Universal Health Care (UHC) and zero-balance billing, remain incomplete.
House Committee on Appropriations chairperson Mika Suansing said that upholding the Senate’s cut could affect an estimated 1.1 million patients.
Senator Loren Legarda added, “But until such time that the Universal Health Care law is fully and properly implemented and PhilHealth is able to handle all of this, I believe that we must provide for the poorest of the poor.”
She also noted that “in an ideal world,” there would be no need for politicians’ guarantee letters, which the program heavily relies on.
MAIFIP offers financial aid to indigent and financially incapacitated patients, though critics argue its dependence on political guarantee letters fosters patronage politics.