Manila: Senators on Wednesday renewed calls for Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) funds to remain in the health care system, after the issuance of a temporary restraining order against the transfer of excess funds to the National Treasury. In a media forum, Senator Joseph Victor "JV" Ejercito commended the Supreme Court for issuing the TRO, saying he strongly believes that health care funds must be used directly for the benefit of PhilHealth members. "This TRO is a critical step forward, but we cannot stop here. I urge our counterparts in the House of Representatives to prioritize and pass their version of the proposed amendments to the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act before the year ends," Ejercito said at the Kapihan sa Senado. Included in the proposed UHC Amendments is a provision stating that PhilHealth funds shall not be realigned or transferred for other purposes. Under the 2024 General Appropriations Act, the national government has the prerogative to reallocate excess reserve funds fr om government-owned and -controlled corporations like PhilHealth to support unprogrammed appropriations in the national budget. Ejercito noted that the proposed amendments would pave the way for urgent reforms in funding. However, to make sure that there will be no more fund transfers happening in PhilHealth, the senator said he is planning to open an investigation on the matter. 'We would like to conduct an investigation. If not, pag-isipan natin, or yung oversight function na lang natin (let's think about it, or maybe we can use our oversight function) on the implementation of UHC," he said. In a separate statement, Senator Pia Cayetano said the SC decision showed an urgent need to evaluate the legality of such fund transfers and its irreparable damage to public health. "While PhilHealth has made strides in enhancing its benefit packages, significant gaps in our health care coverage still exist. Many packages for various ailments still leave patients with out-of-pocket expenses. And certain medical con ditions remain uncovered," Cayetano said. "As such, the unused funds should be effectively allocated within our health care system to address these unmet needs, rather than being redirected for purposes other than their intended use." In an earlier statement, Senator Christopher Lawrence Go thanked the SC for "adhering to the call of ordinary Filipinos," emphasizing that "PhilHealth funds should only be used for health." "Bilang chairperson ng Senate Committee on Health, taus-puso ang aking pasasalamat sa Korte Suprema na nakinig sa ating mga panawagan. Nagpapasalamat din ako lalo sa mga ordinaryong Pilipinong binigyan natin ng pagkakataong gamitin ang mga nakaraang apat na Senate Committee on Health hearings upang ilabas at marinig ng gobyerno ang kanilang mga hinaing hinggil sa isyung ito (As chairperson of the Senate committee on health, I wholeheartedly thank the Supreme Court for listening to our appeal. I also thank the Filipino people who were given the opportunity to use the Senate committee hearin gs to air their concerns and opinions on the matter)," Go said. Source: Philippines News Agency