
Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) president and chief executive officer Ricardo Morales has no authority to delay the implementation of Republic Act (RA) 11223 or the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act, Malacañang said.
“This is a law that has to be implemented. It is not his (Morales) discretion to implement it or not. If he does, then he commits a criminal act. In fact, he will not just be removed. It is a criminal act. He can be prosecuted because you cannot violate a law passed by Congress,” Roque said.
On June 16, Morales sought the delayed implementation of UHC law due to the low budget of the agency.
Roque, however, emphasized that Morales cannot decide on this.
“This is a matter that even the PhilHealth president cannot decide on his own because it is the law,” he said.
Morales, in an interview with ANC last week, said the full implementation of UHC law may happen in mid-2021.
Roque said President Rodrigo Duterte and the lawmakers would make a way to fund the implementation of RA 11223, in case Morales asks for additional funding for its implementation.
“If he (Morales) needs additional funds, say it so because the legislators will consider it. And if need be, the President will certify the need for further funding as urgent so that Congress can act on it,” he said.
The UHC Act signed by Duterte on Feb. 20, 2019, aims to protect and promote Filipinos’ right to health by automatically enrolling them in the government’s health insurance program.