MALACAÑANG on Wednesday said it would comply with the Supreme Court’s forthcoming ruling on lawsuits questioning the transfer of billions of pesos of funds from Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to the national Treasury.

“Whatever the Supreme Court orders, we will comply with it,” Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire B. Castro told a news briefing in Filipino. “We will not oppose it, nor will we resist whatever the Supreme Court mandates.”

This comes after Justice Antonio T. Kho, Jr. called for a major overhaul of PhilHealth, including changes to its board, over its failure to fully implement mandated benefits for members.

During a court hearing on lawsuits questioning the transfer of P89.9 billion in the agency’s funds to the government the magistrate called out the government for PhilHealth’s shortcomings, saying the burden should not fall on shortchanged members.

He also urged PhilHealth to ask President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to return the P60 billion in PhilHealth funds that were transferred to the national Treasury as unprogrammed funds, arguing that the funds should instead be used to expand benefits, improve services, and hire additional personnel to address the country’s healthcare needs.

Mr. Kho scolded PhilHealth and Health officials for disregarding the law when it comes to its budget requests for subsidy.

Under the law, a portion of the revenue from excise taxes on tobacco and alcohol products is used to fund the state health insurer. These funds help expand PhilHealth coverage, particularly for indigent and poor Filipinos, ensuring their access to essential health services.

In 2024, the government initiated the transfer of P89.9 billion from PhilHealth to the national Treasury, labeling these as “excess funds.” The money was supposed to fund various projects, including infrastructure and social services.

PhilHealth was supposed to transfer P29.9 billion more to the state before the tribunal stopped it from doing so in October.

The plaintiffs argued that PhilHealth funds, taken from member contributions and specific taxes, should be exclusively used for health-related purposes, as mandated by the Universal Health Care Act. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana

PHILIPPINE President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., has signed into law a measure that allows working Filipino professionals to earn a college degree through accredited work experience and prior learning, bypassing traditional schooling methods.

The President enacted the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program Act on Feb. 3, the presidential palace said in a statement on Wednesday.

“The [law] will identify, assess, validate and assign equivalent undergraduate level and special graduate programs of prior learning from formal, nonformal and informal learning systems and relevant work experiences to qualified individuals for the grant of appropriate academic degrees,” it said.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) will take the lead in enforcing the law.

CHEd is will deputize higher education institutions to offer academic degrees under the law, establishing standards for diverse assessment methods that evaluate skills, values, knowledge and competence levels, and granting or revoking institutions’ authority to administer the program.

It will also oversee and assess the implementation of the program, with its Office of Programs and Standards Development serving as the permanent technical secretariat that will enforce the law.

Filipino citizens, whether based in the Philippines or overseas, may apply for equivalency and accreditation if they meet the requirements.

Applicants must be at least 23 years old and should have completed a secondary education program.

This can be proven through a high school diploma or a certification from the Philippine educational placement test or the alternative learning system accreditation and equivalency assessment, indicating their eligibility for college admission.

Applicants must have a minimum of five years of cumulative work experience in an industry relevant to the academic degree or discipline for which they seek equivalency. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana