The Supreme Court held oral arguments Tuesday on the petitions seeking to block the transfer of P89.9 billion of Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) funds to the national treasury.
During the deliberations, an associate justice of the Supreme Court (SC) questioned the urgency in transferring the excess funds for programs that are already funded.
“It is a fact that money was taken, billions, in fact P89 billion. Although a little was restrained by the government, by the SC. So that’s the fact that billions of pesos were taken from the reserved funds of PhilHealth,” asked Justice Amy Lazaro-Javier.
“For the construction of a bridge that has not even started and that has been funded many times over? And a right of way that is already funded… by billions, and maintenance of roads that is already funded by billions under the GAA?” she added.
Lazaro-Javier was referring to the SC issuing a temporary restraining order (TRO) issued in October against the further transfer of the PhilHealth funds to the national treasury.
The lady justice cited the PGN Island Bridges project, which she said appears to be fully funded by the Export-Import Bank of Korea in the amount of P174 billion.
She said the same project received additional funding in 2022 and 2023.
Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra, who represents the respondent government agencies in the petition, said they will check the projects.
“The urgency is on the use of these available funds for all the projects listed under the unprogrammed appropriations. There are so many of them,” he said.
Guevarra also said most of the funds for the unprogrammed appropriations would go to social projects, including health projects such as the regional hospitals of the Health Department.
He said the first payment out of the unprogrammed appropriations went to the payment of health emergency allowances of nurses and other medical workers.
Lazaro-Javier, however, maintained there was an overlap between the general purpose and special purpose for unprogrammed funds.
Meanwhile, Guevarra said he cannot determine whether a certain appropriation is proper or improper.
“We, I believe, will not be in the position to say that a certain appropriation is right or wrong or proper or improper. We have to rely on the wisdom of the people who represent us,” he said.