Batac city: For many Filipino families, the decision to go to a hospital has never been only about illness. It has also been about money. Such is the case for both seniors Adoracion Quinto, 79, from Currimao, Ilocos Norte, and Glory Gaspar, a resident of Pudtol, Apayao. They met at the Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center (MMMH and MC) in Batac City, Ilocos Norte, wearing hospital gowns on Sept. 1, 2026.
According to Philippines News Agency, while waiting for their names to be called at the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit, Quinto and Gaspar have been thinking about how much their cataract operation would cost their grown-up children who are also struggling to make ends meet. For quite some time, they had been experiencing blurry vision, but were hesitant to go to the hospital for a medical check-up for fear of an unaffordable hospital bill. Until one day, they found themselves on a hospital operating table because one of their eyes could no longer see.
'I am so thankful; my right eye can see the light again,' said Gaspar after her successful surgical operation at the Batac hospital. Like Gaspar, Quinto also had cataract surgery. Upon assessment, both were found eligible for the government's Zero Balance Billing (ZBB) program, and they walked out of the hospital with a smile. Under the program, patients receiving care in participating government hospitals under basic accommodation can receive essential hospital services with no out-of-pocket expenses.
The Department of Health describes the initiative as part of its broader push toward universal health care and financial protection for Filipinos. 'Thank you for the zero balance billing program, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. It is a big relief to our families. Now, we can go to the hospital without fear of the bill,' Quinto told the Philippine News Agency on Friday after their post-operation check-up.
The program builds on the government's broader health-care reforms, including the long-standing goal of protecting vulnerable Filipinos from out-of-pocket medical costs. In 2026, the Department of Health said its budget priorities included expanding ZBB so that more indigent and financially vulnerable patients could benefit, particularly outside major urban centers.
This government initiative under the Marcos administration works alongside other government health programs. The MMMH and MC describes ZBB and PhilHealth's YAKAP program as complementary: ZBB helps protect patients during hospitalization, while YAKAP focuses on preventive and primary care, including consultations, laboratory services, and medicines. Together, these programs point toward a health system that aims not only to treat people when they become seriously ill, but also to reduce the financial barriers that can prevent them from seeking care in the first place.
'The zero-billing program is for real here at MMMH and MC. I hope this will be sustained to bring more relief to poor families,' said Wilma Grande, a patient watcher from Barangay Masikil, Bangui, Ilocos Norte.
