3 Pangasinan towns seek accounting of PhilHealth primary care funds

MANILA, Philippines — Three municipalities filed a joint petition with the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to obtain an accounting of Pangasinan’s primary care funds managed by its province-wide health system.

The move seeks to shed light on how the P1,700 in PhilHealth primary care funding allocated to qualified beneficiaries in the province was spent and distributed.

Representatives of the local governments of Bayambang, Urdaneta City, and Malasiqui formally filed the petition with the PhilHealth head office in Pasig City on Wednesday, Sept. 29.

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“Open the books, reconcile the health funds attributable to their beneficiaries, and show Pangasinenses where the money went,” they urged, as stated in the press release.

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The petitioners aimed to obtain the records which showed the “beneficiary counts, PhilHealth remittances, Special Health Fund credits, Provincial Health Board allocations, sub-ledger entries, transfers, releases, obligations, disbursements, deductions, receivables, and remaining balances.”

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According to them, only a portion of the P340 attributed per beneficiary goes to the LGU level, while the large sum of the share, or P1,360, is funneled into the province-wide Special Health Fund, under the existing arrangement.

They urged PhilHealth and the provincial government to explain and provide official documents that show the amount of funds allocated per LGU and entered into the provincial pool, as well as the services funded and the remaining balance.

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The petitioners also aim to clarify which medical services are offered under the locally branded GUIConsulta covered by PhilHealth and which are funded by the provincial government.

“But the public discussion surrounding the product illustrates the broader transparency issue raised by the LGUs: when medicines, consultations, and other health benefits are distributed under a locally branded program, which benefits are paid for by PhilHealth, which are funded or provided by the Province, and what do the official financial records show?” they asked. /jpv