SENATE President Juan Miguel Migz Zubiri lauded President Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos jr. for ordering the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth) to suspend the implementation of the increase in membership contribution saying this move will definitely ease the burden of the general population in these difficult times coming out of the pandemic.

Zubiri said the move of the President only shows that the Chief Executive prioritized the lives of Filipinos especially now that the cost of living has risen.

“This suspension shows that the President knows and acts on the needs of our countrymen by bringing down the daily living expense that everyone is burdened with, especially during this time of high inflation affecting everything from food to fuel,” Zubiri said.

The increase was originally set under the Universal Health Care Act which mandates a gradual increase in premium rates from 2.75 percent in 2019 to 3.5 percent in 2023 and eventually 5 percent in 2024.

“The premium rate hikes may be established after we have brought down our inflation rate to more comfortable levels in the near future. Once again, we thank the President for this as this will allow a larger take-home pay for all salaried workers in the meantime.

No less than the Philippine Statistic Authority reported inflation rates of 8 percent in November 2022, the highest the country has had since November 2008. This puts the year-to-date inflation rate at 5.6, which is beyond the 2 to 4 percent target range.

The hike in income ceiling from P80,000 to P90,000 is also suspended.

Zubiri said the Chief Executive deserves commendation for this move.

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PS Jun M. Sarmiento