Senator Imee Marcos on Monday called on President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to restore the subsidy for the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), and budget cuts in other priority projects of the administration.
“Nananawagan ako sa Palasyo, pakitutukan na ang mga isyu at pondo ng budget, i-line by line yan. Nasa kanya [President Marcos] na lamang ang pag-asa na talagang hindi tanggalin yung mahahalaga. Wag namang i-zero yung PhilHealth, yung flood control, wala na (I am calling on the Palace, please focus on the issues and funds of the budget, do it line by line. It depends on President Marcos to not remove the important ones. Don’t zero PhilHealth, the flood control, it’s gone),” the senator said in a radio interview.
Senator Marcos, who was among the nine senators who opted not to sign the bicameral conference committee report on the 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB), also called for the restoration of the PHP50-billion budget cut for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
“Sinabi ko nga na kung maaari, tingnan na lang ng kapatid ko. Hindi maaaring pakialaman ng lehislatura ang ilang department. Nasa Korte Suprema yan, labag yan sa batas at sa konsesnya ng tao. Kapag nagbigay na kami ng budget, yun na yun (As I said, if possible, my brother should look into it. The legislature cannot interfere with some departments. That’s in the Supreme Court, that’s against the law and the conscience of the people. Once we give the budget, that should be it),” she said.
Meanwhile, she clarified that she is not against the Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP).
She maintained that AKAP should be properly explained why it is necessary to be funded or implemented and not just a duplication of other DSWD programs like the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
The DSWD has earlier explained that AKAP and AICS have different target beneficiaries.
AICS aims to help individuals dealing with a crisis and in need of temporary and immediate financial assistance; while AKAP provides various types of financial assistance for individuals with low income, and not more than the set minimum wages, that are most affected by inflation, as well as those who are not included in the regular program for the poor. (PNA)
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