Ejercito: PhilHealth should shape up or ship out by yearend

PHOTO: PhilHealth website

MANILA, Philippines — For Sen. JV Ejercito, the  leadership of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) should be given only until this year to shape up or ship out.

It was just early this month when Ejercito called for the replacement of PhiHealth president and chief executive officer Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. for failure to live up to the purpose of the Universal Health Care (UHC) law.

This time, however, the senator wants not just the head of the state health insurer but a revamp of its leadership.

“Proud na proud tayo sa UHC pero kung ganito naman ang performance ng primary agency tasked to implement e syempre they have to be accountable di ba?” Ejercito, principal author of the law, said at the regular Kapihan sa Senado on Wednesday.

(We’re very proud of the UHC but if this is the performance of the primary agency tasked to implement it, of course they have to be held accountable.)

“So leadership revamp, kailangan leadership change. We have to revamp PhilHealth if they can’t perform up to par. If they don’t shape up e di kinakailangan talaga ng pagbabago ng leadership ng PhilHealth for a fresh start,” he added.

(A leadership revamp, a leadership change is necessary. We have to revamp PhilHealth if they can’t perform up to par. If they don’t shape up then we really need a change in the leadership of PhilHealth for a fresh start)

The senator though recognized that the decision would still be up to the appointing authority, which is President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

“Kung hindi pa talaga mag perform hopefully by end of  the year, kung hindi pa mag shape up ay dapat siguro magkaroon ng leadership change sa PhilHealth,” he said.

(If their performance will not improve hopefully by end  of  the year, if they will not shape up, then it might be necessary to consider a leadership change at PhilHealth.)

Ejercito underscored the urgent need to implement changes in the PhilHealth, even after the Supreme Court’s decision to stop the transfer of the remaining P29 billion excess funds of the agency.

He blamed PhilHealth for the questionable transfer of its excess funds to the national treasury.

Of the P89.90-billion excess funds of PhilHealth, P20 billion was already transferred to the national treasury last May, P10 billion in August, and another P30 billion this October. The remaining P29.90-billion was supposed to be transferred in November.

“Kasi ang kasalanan nila, ipinagmalaki nila na mayroong excess funds ang PhilHealth. Ano ito, just to please our economic managers, the administration?” he asked.

(Their fault is that they boasted about having excess funds at PhilHealth. Is this just to please our economic managers and the administration?)

“Wow ang laki ng excess funds na maiko-contrubite mo for priority programs gayung ang daming hirap na hirap magbayad ng hospital bills. Then you are not successful president of PhilHealth kasi nga nagpasikat ka. May excess funds ka pero ang dami namang hirap di ba?” the senator said.

(Wow, you have such a large amount of excess funds that could contribute to priority programs, yet many people are struggling to pay their hospital bills. Then you are not successful president of PhilHealth because it’s all just for show. You have excess funds but many are suffering)

Ejercito reminded the health insurer that they are not a private corporation that needs to have profits or savings at the end of the year.

Its funds, he stressed, should only be used for PhilHealth and health purposes.

“Hindi ko alam kung ano gusto ng PhilHealth leadership now. Nagpapa-good shot ba sila, nagpapasikat na meron tayong profit, meron tayong excess funds? Hindi dapat pinagmamalaki yun,” the senator said.

(I don’t know what the PhilHealth leadership wants to achieve right now. Are they trying to put on a good show, boasting about having profits and excess funds? That shouldn’t be something to take pride in.)

NOTE: The English translations in the article were AI-generated.