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People-centric approach key to PH health security
Manila Bulletin
|February 10, 2026
National policy on healthcare is ultimately a statement of values: what a country chooses to protect, whom it chooses to serve, and how seriously it takes the well-being of its people.
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President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s emphasis on health spending in the 2026 national budget sends a clear signal that healthcare is not merely a social service but a pillar of national development and human security.The ₱427 billion appropriation for the Department of Health and PhilHealth, complemented by more than ₱13 billion for specialty hospitals and over ₱1 billion for medical scholarships and tuition fee subsidies in state universities and colleges, reflects a renewed attempt to strengthen the country’s health system from financing to service delivery. These investments matter. But their ultimate success will depend not only on infrastructure and funding, but on the availability, competence, and equitable distribution of health professionals across the archipelago.
This story is from the February 10, 2026 edition of Manila Bulletin.
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