House Deputy Minority Leader and Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Partylist Rep. Leila M. de Lima filed a measure to investigate the cases of alleged misuse and abuse of public funds under the Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP) and other programs of the Department of Health (DOH).
De Lima on Wednesday filed House Resolution (HR) 353 after the reported wastage of DOH funds and the possible corruption of government officials, public employees, private companies and individuals that resulted in the so-called “haunted hospitals”—abandoned, incomplete, or non-operational hospitals, health centers and similar facilities.
“These issues of incompetence and irregularities are very alarming and frustrating, especially for the Filipino people who urgently need quality, accessible, and affordable medical services,” De Lima said.
During the House plenary deliberations on the proposed 2026 DOH budget last week, Akbayan Party-list Rep. Jose Manuel Tadeo ‘Chel’ Diokno flagged that as of 2025, only 200 of the 600 health centers constructed under the HFEP were operational.
HR 353 also cited Senator Sherwin Gatchalian’s revelation during the Senate deliberations on the agency’s 2026 proposed budget, referring to a 2024 Commission on Audit (COA) report, which found that 123 projects worth ₱11.5 billion were not completed within their contract deadlines.
Moreover, during the House plenary debates on the DOH budget for next year, De Lima also expressed alarm over the insufficient supply—or complete lack—of medicines in public hospitals, as well as the questionable allocation of government-procured mental health medicines worth hundreds of millions.
Last July, De Lima also filed HR 46 to probe the unpaid claims in several private hospitals, which resulted in their decision to temporarily suspend accepting guarantee letters under the Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) of the DOH.
Diokno filed a similar initiative in a separate resolution, urging the House Committee on Public Accounts, Committee on Health, and other appropriate committees to conduct the congressional inquiry, involving the billions received to implement the HFEP under DOH.
Diokno filed House Resolution 351 together with his fellow Akbayan Reform Bloc members—Reps. Perci Cendaña, Dadah Kiram Ismula—and Dinagat Islands Rep. Kaka Bag-ao.
The HFEP involves the construction, rehabilitation, and upgrading of barangay health stations, rural health units, and other medical facilities in various areas across the country.
The resolution seeks to determine why numerous government-funded health centers remain nonfunctional or underutilized, despite massive budget allocations intended to improve access to healthcare facilities nationwide.
“This is a matter that needs to be looked into because the health of the Filipino people is at stake. Hundreds of billions of pesos have been allotted for this program, yet it has not delivered on its promise of accessible healthcare for our countrymen,” Diokno said.
Based on records, the program’s budget has expanded significantly from only P43.5 million in 2007 to as much as P34.7 billion in 2025, with a cumulative allocation of P241.4 billion in the past 18 years.
During budget hearings, the DOH disclosed that a total of P400 billion had been released to local government units (LGUs) over the last 10 years under the HFEP, including additional allocations for commodities and human resources.
Despite its huge budget, the DOH admitted that only 200 out of 600 health centers are currently functional. Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa even described these nonfunctional facilities as the “flood control version” of the DOH.
“These irregularities undermine the objectives of Republic Act No. 11223, otherwise known as the Universal Health Care Act, which guarantees equitable access to quality healthcare for all Filipinos,” the resolution said.
