Increase in PhilHealth member contributions postponed
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President Rodrigo Roa Duterte talks to the people
after holding a meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Emerging
Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) core members at the Active Lifestyle Center in
Matina, Davao City on January 4, 2021. SIMEON CELI/ PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
President
Rodrigo Roa Duterte has deferred the implementation of the increase in the
Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) member contributions to ease the
hardship of the people due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“There
is a move to increase the contribution ng mga members,” President Duterte said
in a public address on Monday. “At this time of our life, may I just suggest to
the PhilHealth chairman, si Dante Gierran at saka ‘yung si --- lahat na ---
isang tao lang kailangan kong sabihan diyan. Huwag muna ngayon.”
“No
increase in contributions. I will look for the money to fill it up. Maghanap
tayo ng pera. Anyway, that is the job of the government to make it easy for
everybody at this time, I said, of our lives.”
PhilHealth’s
premium rate for its members was supposed to increase to 3.5 percent of their
monthly basic salary, from 3 percent last year.
A
0.5 yearly increase in members’ premium is mandated by the Universal Health
Care Act starting this year until it reaches the 5-percent cap in 2025.
Meanwhile,
President Duterte warned airport personnel to strictly implement government
travel restrictions and protocols following reports of unauthorized travels.
“There
are reports that some people are skipping, na nakakalusot sila with the help of
airport personnel at sa mga barko. I say this now as I have said it before: Do
not do it kasi mayayari talaga kayo,” he said in issuing the warming.
“You
do it by allowing unauthorized travel when all of us are really worried of
containing the contamination, na i-control in and out. Almost every country now
are controlling the entry and the departure of their citizens. Hindi lang tayo
mga Pilipino.”
The
government is strictly carrying out mandatory 14-day quarantine to travelers
arriving from countries with reported cases of a new COVID-19 variant, which
experts say is more contagious than the regular variant. PND
