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(FILE PHOTO) Senator Bong Go (left) and President Rodrigo Duterte.
MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the deferral of increased contributions from Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) members due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Duterte’s former aide and now Senator Christopher “Bong” Go confirmed this in a text message to reporters Monday night.
“President Duterte has already introduced the PhilHealth (contribution) increase,” Go said.
However, it was not clear how Duterte could simply postpone the implementation of the Philhealth member contribution increase, which was mandated by the Universal Health Care Act. Any postponement or modification in the implementation of a provision of a law may have to be done through a separate law passed by Congress that establishes such modification or postponement. In some cases, at least one Executive Order signed by the President could stop the implementation of a law.
Go, chairman of the Senate health committee, recently said that Duterte is willing to sign a measure to defer increased contributions or approve increased funding for PhilHealth that has been plagued by allegations of fraud.
This year, the premium rate for PhilHealth members will increase to 3.5 percent of their monthly base salary, from 3 percent in 2020.
According to PhilHealth, the Universal Health Care Act requires premium increases for members by 0.5 each year, starting in 2021 until it reaches the 5 percent cap in 2025.
KGA
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