Sen. Raffy Tulfo statement on Sen. JV Ejercito privilege speech

PHILIPPINES, August 11 - Press Release
August 11, 2025

SEN. RAFFY TULFO STATEMENT ON SEN. JV EJERCITO PRIVILEGE SPEECH
TOPIC: UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE

Mr. President, I would like to thank our good Deputy Majority Leader, Senator JV Ejercito, for championing the promise of the Universal Health Care Law and for supporting the sustainability of zero-balance billing.

Healthcare in the Philippines remains financially inaccessible to many Filipinos despite the passage of the Universal Health Care Law. Patients still suffer from systemic delays, out-of-pocket costs, and reliance on guarantee letters (o tinatawag na GL) to secure urgent hospitalization. This practice undermines the constitutional guarantee that health is a right, not a privilege.

In 2024, out-of-pocket payments by households accounted for 42.7% of the country's Current Health Expenditure, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. This shows that Filipino households are still burdened with nearly half the cost of healthcare, often paying cash or borrowing money to cover inpatient expenses, kahit miyembro na sila ng PhilHealth.

Mas nakaaalarma, marami ang hindi kayang bayaran ang kanilang hospital bills kaya umaasa na lamang sila sa mga GLs mula sa mga halal na opisyal, o kaya sa PCSO, o DSWD. Sa kabilang banda, nakakatanggap kami ng mga reklamo na may mga ospital na tumatanggi sa mga GL dahil sa matagal na pagproseso ng bayad sa kanila.

Mr. President, these are the challenges that our people face. Every day, thousands of Filipinos walk into hospitals with a sick parent, child, or sibling, only to realize that to afford the treatment, they will have to knock on the doors of different agencies. Bakit kailangan pang magmakaawa ang isang pamilya ng pasyenteng walang pambayad ng bill sa ospital sa iba't ibang munisipyo at ahensya upang makalabas lang ang kanilang mahal sa buhay? Ito ay isang nakakalungkot na reyalidad

These patients are not asking for VIP treatment, they are simply trying to survive. Kailangan natin silang tulungan. The resources already exist - the public has contributed through taxes and monthly PhilHealth premiums. What is lacking is the efficient disbursement of funds and the political will to eliminate middlemen in our access to healthcare system.

Muli, buo ang aking suporta kay Senator JV, dahil karapatan ng bawat Pilipino ang magkaroon ng access sa health care at sa sistema na magpapagaan sa buhay ng ating mga kababayan.

Maraming Salamat.