PhilHealth fund ruling lauded

Vice President Sara Duterte hailed the ruling of the Supreme Court to return the P60 billion impounded by the government from the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).

- BELLA CARIASO

In an interview in The Hague, Duterte said the SC ruling was among the issues she discussed with her father, detained former president Rodrigo Duterte, when she visited him anew at his detention cell at Scheve-ningen Prison.

"The Supreme Court is the final arbiter of legal cases in our country and if they say that it is unconstitutional, then it is, and then it should be returned," Duterte said.

By a unanimous vote, the high tribunal also made permanent the temporary restraining order (TRO) it earlier issued against the transfer of the remaining P29.9 billion in supposedly unused PhilHealth funds to the national treasury.

"Rightly so, because the money of PhilHealth should be returned and should be reinvested in health programs in the country," Duterte said.

The 136-page SC decision was promulgated on Dec. 3, but was only released to the media on Friday.

Go: Justice served