Humiling ang Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) sa Korte Suprema na ibasura ang petisyon na kumukuwestiyon sa paglilipat ng mga pondong hindi nagamit ng PhilHealth sa national treasury.
Iginiit ni Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra na ligal ang prosesong ito at walang nilalabag sa karapatan ng tao pagdating sa kalusugan dahil nakasunod ito sa Department of Finance (DOF) Department Circular No. 003-2024 (DOF Circular) at Section 1(d), Chapter XLIII ng 2024 General Appropriation Act (GAA) ng konstitusyon.
Dahil dito, ang petisyon na inihain ni Senator Koko Pimentel at iba pang mambabatas kaugnay sa lipat-pondo ay may depekto dahil sa ilang ‘procedural at substantive issues’.
Ilan sa nakitang procedural issues sa inihain ng petitioner ang “failure of the petition to satisfy the requirements for the exercise of judicial review; failure of petitioners to exhaust legal remedies; and the petition’s violation of the doctrine of the hierarchy of courts”
“The questioned remittance of up to P89.9 billion, when viewed from a broader perspective, will not necessarily hamper, much less disable, the implementation of PhilHealth’s mandate,” saad ni Guevarra.
“Assuming that there are challenges, roadblocks, and shortcomings in achieving the purposes of the UHCA [Universal Health Care Act], the same are matters only of its implementation, and are not tantamount to a violation of the right to health, as erroneously espoused by petitioners,” paliwanag niya.
Ayon pa kay Guevara, ang kita ng PhilHealth ay sobra para mabayaran ang benefit claims gayundin ang operating expenses, habang ang sobrang pondo naman ay nagsisilbing excess fund para sa maintenance at operations, kabilang na rin ang outstanding claims para sa Fiscal Year 2023. – VC
