Cong. Manoy Wilbert “Wise” Lee has renewed his call for a comprehensive plan to address delays in health benefit implementation, warning that PhilHealth’s lack of urgency is leaving millions of Filipinos without adequate healthcare support. He also criticized the removal of government subsidy for PhilHealth in the 2025 budget, describing it as a direct result of inefficiency and poor planning.

“The zero subsidy for PhilHealth is not because the funds are surplus—it’s because they’re unused. These are funds meant to save lives, and their idleness reflects a dereliction of duty by those in charge,” Lee said. He called out DOH Secretary Ted Herbosa for failing to deliver a detailed plan to lower out-of-pocket healthcare costs, despite committing to do so during budget deliberations.

Lee pointed to recent successes, including the approval of free eye checkups, expanded heart procedure coverage, and a 50% increase in case rates, but stressed that much more needs to be done. “These measures are just the beginning. We cannot tell Filipinos to delay getting sick or postpone their surgeries while we wait for benefits to be implemented,” he said.

The solon called for a shift in policy direction, emphasizing that healthcare should be free and accessible to all. “The government must act with urgency and compassion. Every peso of unused funds is a missed opportunity to save lives,” he concluded.

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